


The Haunting of Stark House

by strawberrylace



Series: The Ghostly Trio [1]
Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dark Comedy, F/M, Haunted Houses, M/M, Spooky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 38,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25149883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylace/pseuds/strawberrylace
Summary: Peter Parker can talk to ghosts, but he'd rather not talk about it. When an old friend reaches out to him to investigate his new digs for potential spirits, Peter is more than hesitant to take the job. Joined by his ghost enthusiast boyfriend, Wade, and Vis, a paranormal researcher with a deep connection to the house, this unlikely trio begin to unearth secrets filled with history, darkness, and some not-so-friendly ghosts.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Vision, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson, Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Series: The Ghostly Trio [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1987297
Comments: 46
Kudos: 125





	1. Dreams (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE horror!! I love writing spooky stories and lately I've been reading a lot of ghost stories. I hope you all enjoy!!

Peter Parker can't remember the last time he got a full eight hours of sleep. There were nights where he'd pretend to fall asleep for the sake of not worrying those who loved him. Other nights he was grateful to get even four hours of sleep. He figured, well, at this rate, he would sleep when he was dead. But based on what he knew, even the dead didn't really get much sleep either.

Peter had a gift, so to say. He was able to communicate with the dead. Supposedly, it was a trait that nearly everyone in his family had for generations. Both of his parents had this gift, even Uncle Ben had it. Aunt May didn't have this gift. She certainly got lucky. Peter could only imagine the conversations that she'd be having with ghosts. 

"Peter, I just met the most wonderful spirit from across the hall! Did you know that they died choking on a piece of broccoli? How terrible! Do you think they might want to come have dinner with us?" 

Aunt May would've been the one the spirits would've loved to talk to, Peter thought. She had that sort of effect around living people. He was pretty sure those in the afterlife would gravitate towards her.

Peter was about five years old when he first came in contact with a spirit. He was at the cemetery where his grandfather was being buried. He remembered feeling a very chilly presence standing over him and hearing a voice whisper into his ear, "I never liked that suit." He turned around to see who it was but the spirit was gone. Later that night, when he crawled into bed, he swore that he heard that same voice wish him good night before he went to sleep. 

The spirits that came into contact with Peter were all over the place. Some were nice, some were angry, but regardless, Peter just wanted these spirits to stop bothering him and move on with their lives. There was nothing great about his gift and didn't understand why he had to be the one to talk to them. His boyfriend, Wade, would've been more well-suited for having this gift. Wade couldn't get enough of the supernatural stuff, particularly ghosts. 

But the wonderful thing about Wade was that he was patient with Peter's so-called gift. Growing up, dating was hard for Peter. People were either generally turned off by dating a "ghost whisperer" or tried to use him to gain access to a dead relative. Wade was the first person to accept him for who he was and not take advantage of his ability. Sure, it intrigued Wade, but he understood that Peter's gift was not to be treated as if it were a party trick. 

Peter turned over in bed and stared at the alarm clock. 2:15. Perhaps if he felt asleep right now, he'd get a luxurious four hours of sleep. He had been having the same dream over and over again the past few nights. He's standing in front of an old house and it's burning. He can hear people screaming and he walks towards the house but before he can open the door, he is yanked away and that's when he wakes up. Parts of the dream have changed, such as what Peter is wearing or the weather outside. But the house is always the same. It's a Victorian style house on a street corner with a big Apple tree in the front yard. He's never seen this house before so he finds it strange that he's been having the same dream over and over again. 

"Peter," Wade mumbled into his pillow. "Are you still up?" 

Peter turned over and leaned on his side, brushing Wade's dirty blonde hair. "Sorry," Peter whispered, kissing the top of Wade's head. "Can't sleep." 

Wade turned his head over to look at Peter. "It's the house again, isn't it?" 

Peter bit his lip. Wade knew all too well about the recent dreams that Peter had been having. Wade suggested that perhaps Peter write down the dreams he had been having in case it was a spirit that was trying to communicate but Peter dismissed this as just regular dreams. He was starting to think that Wade had a point. 

"No," Peter shook his head. "Just couldn't sleep is all." 

Wade sighed. "What am I going to do with you? Well, besides marry you one day because let's be real, you are the greatest catch and I never want to let you go." 

Peter chuckled, leaning in to kiss Wade on the lips. "I thought we weren't doing a wedding on account of you find the wedding business to be over commercialized?" 

"No, that's Thanksgiving. Weddings are just too much work and planning. I still want to make it official one day. You know, for tax purposes." 

"Wade Wilson, you are crazy." 

"Yeah, but I'm crazy for you." Wade kissed Peter sweetly on the lips. "Try to get some sleep babe. We've got a big day tomorrow. Night night!" 

"Night, babe," Peter mumbled as he cuddled up to Wade. 

Peter slept on and off for the next four hours. He found himself dreaming of the house once more. He was standing in the front yard, watching the Victorian house burn in flames. There was screaming coming from inside the house. It sounded like a woman was crying out for help. Instinctively, he knew he had to save her. He walked towards the house, ignoring the noise that was going on all around him. He reached for the doorknob, not paying mind to the fact that he would burn himself. He went to open the door and suddenly the blaring sound of the alarm clock woke Peter up, bringing him back to reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably add more characters to this as the story continues, but so far I know my main four characters! Thanks again for reading!!


	2. Hello Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you to all who have read the prologue!! I hope you all continue to stick around for this story!

"When did our lives become so domesticated?" Wade asked between mouthfuls of his chimichangas. 

Peter simply laughed, shaking his head. In the heart of downtown New Haven, Peter and Wade were having a nice lunch at their favorite Southwestern grill. It was a breezy Friday afternoon and the early signs of fall were starting to show as Peter looked out the window and noticed the pedestrians tying their scarves around their necks and pull down on their hats. Autumn was truly a sight to behold in Connecticut and there was nothing like it. 

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Peter replied. "What's wrong with us being responsible adults with real jobs and owning a nice little house outside of New Haven?" 

"There's nothing wrong with it," Wade admitted. He cocked his head to the side. "I never would've thought that three and a half years ago, a guy like you would walk into my restaurant, order a mac n' cheese burger, and actually give your compliments to the chef." 

"I still can't believe you came out of the kitchen to meet me," Peter smiled. "You were on the ground crying over it. I mean, it was that good!" 

"To think I almost quit that night. But I stuck around one more day and then I quit to start my own gastropub!" 

"Thank god for Domino though, she's the real brains behind Eagle Cherry." 

"She really is lucky. Even though I'm lucky to have her as my business partner, I'm even luckier to have met you that night." 

Peter raised his glass. "I'm the lucky one." 

They raised a glass to their relationship. Yes, this was the kind of domesticity that Peter never thought was possible until Wade came into his life. Before he moved to Connecticut, Peter found himself lost upon graduating college. As a broke photographer, he had no relationship, no job prospects, and his friendship with one of his closest friends began to deteriorat. He felt lost beyond belief and felt that the only way to solve this was by moving out of Queens and to somewhere completely different. Connecticut seemed like a good place to find a fresh start. 

On his first night in Connecticut, Peter found himself walking around aimlessly when he happened to come across a burger restaurant that piqued his interest. He had spent all day unpacking and settling into his tiny apartment, so a burger was exactly what he needed to celebrate a long day's work. There was nothing flashy about the restaurant when Peter walked in. The decor looked rather kitschy and the music that was being played was way too loud for his liking. He sat in a seat by himself and scanned the menu. The one thing that caught his eye was a mac n' cheese burger. There was a restaurant back in Queens that served an amazing mac n' cheese burger and he never thought that any place could replicate it. He figured he'd give this one a try.

When the burger arrived at his table, Peter's mouth began to water. Everything from the golden bun to the gooey mac n' cheese and the juicy patty. Once he took that first bite, it was as if there was a party going on in his mouth. the amazing combination of flavors was to die for. He wolfed that burger down in no time. It was not only the best mac n' cheese burger he had, but the best burger he ever had period. He had to give his compliments to whomever made this delicious burger. The waitress looked at him with peculiarity when he asked her to give his compliments to the chef but went ahead to the kitchen anyway. A few minutes passed and Peter wondered if perhaps that he was being too much. Then he saw a young guy walking towards his table. He had an average build, dirty blonde hair, and what appeared to be little scars that covered his face. But it was the eyes that drew Peter in. Those beautiful brown eyes that appeared to change depending on the lighting of the room. These eyes looked golden brown when Peter saw them. When the two of them made eye contact, the chef began to cry. Peter was confused at first, he didn't know if he should get on the floor to ask what was wrong with him but then he heard him thank Peter in between sobs over and over again for the compliment. He crouched down on the floor to comfort the chef, even inviting him to come sit with him at his table. So Wade sat with him and the two of them began to talk, thus the story of how they first met. 

"You're deep in thought again," Wade commented. "You're not still thinking about that dream with the house, are you?" 

"I wasn't," Peter shook his head, his face twisting as he took a sip of his drink. "Though there was a new development with it." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah," Peter ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair, his brown eyes darkening as he thought back on the new development. "I reached out for the door. I was about to open it but then...nothing." 

"I seriously think that you should write this all down. I mean, it's quite possible that ghosts may be trying to communicate with you through your dreams."

"That's impossible though. I mean, in all the years that I've been 'blessed' with this so-called gift, no spirit has ever tried to infiltrate my dreams. Though in high school I did have a ghost appear to me during P.E. when I was running the track." Peter shuddered thinking about this memory. 

"Everybody has at least one bad P.E. experience," Wade tried to be comforting. "One time, when I was in middle school, they had us climb up a rope and I ripped my shorts in half." 

Before he could say something, Peter's phone began to rang. He picked it up, thinking it was the was the paper regarding his latest assignment. 

"Peter Parker." 

"Hello, old friend." 

Peter stood up straight in his seat. Tony Stark. Now that was somebody he hadn't spoken to in a year. They had always been good friends but after college, things began to change between the two of them. They still talked from time to time but they weren't as close as they once were. It was a bit of a shock that Tony would even call, considering how he loathed making phone calls. This was definitely out of the ordinary. 

"Tony," Peter said with uncertainty. Wade's eyes darted up the moment he heard the name. "Well, this is a surprise." 

"Yeah, I know," Tony replied shakily. "How are you?" 

"I'm doing well. Having lunch with Wade right now. Is everything alright?" 

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine," Tony laughed nervously. "Listen, I know this is going to sound a bit unorthodox, but, I bought a house." 

"Well that's good," Peter sounded surprised. "What's so unorthodox about buying a house?" 

"See, the house that we got, I mean, Stephen and I, got, is quite an old house. I'm talking circa 1860's." 

"You bought a house with Stephen?" Of course Tony and Stephen bought a house together. They had been dating for nearly two years so naturally it was the right time. Peter had a couple of reservations about Stephen even after all this time but Tony wasn't the guy that asked for that sort of approval. That was one of Tony's flaws: his recklessness and it got in the way of some friendships, including Peter and his. "That's great. Really, congratulations."

"Thanks. As I said before, the house is really old and, Stephen is a bit apprehensive about the idea of us living in such an old house that there might be ghosts in the house." 

Peter pursed his lips. "Stephen doesn't strike me as the type to believe in such things." 

"Right, but I guess one can never be too sure. So I told him that I knew someone who specialized in these sort of things..." 

Peter slumped right back into his chair. He should've known that the moment Tony said old house, he needed someone who could look for potential ghosts. What was more annoying was that Tony told Stephen that Peter had this special gift. 

"Can't you guys just get a priest to bless the house?" Peter asked, slightly annoyed. "Just because I can talk to ghosts, doesn't mean they'll want to make their presence known." 

"I just want to put Stephen's mind at ease. He's already freaking out about the movers handling our furniture tomorrow. Parker, if you could do me this one solid, I would be forever indebted to you." 

Peter was silent. He wanted to believe that Tony had the best intentions but something in his gut said otherwise. He wasn't getting the best vibe. 

"I'll pay you," Tony offered. 

"Tony, you know that I can't take your money," said Peter. 

"Yes you can!" Wade mouthed. Peter shushed him. 

"At least take it into consideration. C'mon, what do you say?"

"I don't know..." 

Tony sighed. "Peter, I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think you could do it. I know things with is havent exactly been a cakewalk but i want to try to make things right. Will you help me?" 

Something in the back of his head told Peter that this was a bad idea. He wasn't a medium, he was just an average 25-year-old freelance photographer who just happened to have a knack of being able to talk to the dead. But then again, if Tony really was trying to patch things up with him, perhaps he should be willing to see what he could do about the house. 

"Okay," Peter sighed. "I'll see what I can do." He hung up the phone and set it down on the table. He took a big gulp of his drink, wondering if perhaps this was a mistake. 

"Everything okay, babe?" Wade asked. 

Peter looked up at Wade and then had an idea. "Do you want to go meet some ghosts at this Victorian house tomorrow?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gonna get spooky next chapter! *makes ominous ghost noises*  
> Thanks again for reading!


	3. Inspection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for ghosts???  
> New chapter is here and I hope you all enjoy it!!

Prior to moving, Tony Stark had been doing the long distance relationship with his boyfriend, Stephen Strange. It was difficult to say the least, between Tony's demanding job working for his father's company and Stephen teaching at Connecticut College, the two of them did everything that they could to make things work. They both knew they couldn't do this forever, as they had to find a way to meet half way. After months of going back and forth between New London and New York, Tony finally decided to join Stephen in Connecticut permanently. Fortunately for him, he was able to convince his father to allow him to work remotely. 

Now it was a matter of finding a place to live. Stephen knew there was no room for both of them in his apartment, so it only made sense they try to find a place for both of them. They originally looked for apartments but weren't keen on the choices that they looked at. Then Tony suggested that they try to find a house. Expanding their search proved to be slightly more fruitful but none of the houses they looked at seemed to fit the criteria, until they found a beautiful Victorian home that was situated in the suburbs right outside of New London. It had everything that they wanted, from space to location. They were certain that there was a catch with this place, for the price was half the price of most Victorian style homes in the area. 

It turned out that the previous owners had died in the house about two years prior. The realtor felt the need to disclose this detail and thus, it made for a difficult sell. Stephen wasn't completely sold on the house, despite it having everything that he could wish for in a house, but Tony did everything in his power to convince him that this house was perfect for them. After much twisting of his arm on Tony's part, Stephen finally gave in and closed a deal on the house. Even though he agreed, Stephen was still worried about the house, to which Tony tried to calm his nerves by getting in contact with his old friend about checking the house out. That was when he made the call to Peter.

Peter and Wade made the drive out to Tony and Stephen's house the next morning. Peter had not been able to sleep last night. It was the same dream that kept him awake as the previous nights before. He was also having second thoughts about going to the house. As much as he wanted to have a nice visit seeing Tony, he wished that this was under better circumstances. Wade, on the other hand, was feeling very excited about the potential of meeting a ghost for the first time. So much so that he had made up a song for the hour long car ride there, much to the chagrin of Peter.

"One ghost is all it takes," Wade sang. "To fall in love with me. Possibilities. I am the one you can haunt!"

"Wade, I'm not sure what you're getting with that song," Peter deadpanned. "But I doubt that any of the ghosts will want to make their presence known if you sing them Dua Lipa." 

"That's why we have options, babe," Wade took a sip of his iced caramel machiatto. "How about this one?" Wade cleared his throat. "If I could turn back tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime!" 

"What if they don't like Cher?" Peter interrupted. 

"What ghost wouldn't like Cher? That's like saying you don't like puppies!" 

"How are those two the same thing?" 

"Aside from you, those are the greatest things on Earth." 

Peter couldn't help but laugh. If anything, at least Wade was doing what he could to try to keep spirits up. He turned down the street and right on the corner was a Victorian two story house that appeared to loom over the neighborhood in comparison to the smaller houses nearby. When Peter and Wade got out of the car, they got out of the way of the movers and walked over to the front yard to get a better look at the house. The white paint on the house appeared to be chipping upon closer inspection. The yard was in good condition, though it was going to be a lot of work from what they could tell. Everything else about the house looked good though there was something strange about the house that they couldn't put their finger on. 

"So should I tell Tony he bought the Beetlejuice house?" Wade asked, a small smile on his face. 

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Peter shook his head. "Babe, how fast can you get the car started? 

"Peter," someone called out, "is that you?" 

Peter silently cursed himself as he turned to see a tall man with dark hair and a grey streak on the side of his hair leaning against the front porch. Stephen was dressed in a dark blue long sleeve shirt with a maroon cable knit sweater and some dark jeans. Complete with the brown loafers, he fit the bill of a New England professor. He watched the movers take his couch into the house with watchful eyes before he made his way to the front yard to welcome Peter and Wade into his new home. 

"Now there's a face I haven't seen in forever!" Stephen smiled, going in to hug Peter. "How are you?" He then looked at Wade and greeted him the same. "Wade, lovely of you to drop by too! It's been too long since I've seen you." 

"Long time, no see," said Wade. "That's a nice house you have there. Very uh...vintage." 

"It was practically a steal!" The three of them turned their heads to the front door to find Tony Stark leaning against the doorway, making his way towards the trio. He sauntered over, wearing an AC/DC t-shirt underneath his blazer and a pair of tight blue jeans. His short dark hair was a mess and it looked as if he was growing a matching goatee with his boyfriend. No one could pull off this look as well as Tony did. 

"Peter!" Tony extended his arms out. "You made it!" He looked over at Wade, his smile shrinking. "Wade, you came too!" 

"Of course I came!" Wade replied, without missing a beat "It's not everyday I get to tour the Amityville Horror." 

"Excuse me?" Stephen looked at Wade with confusion. 

Tony tried to laugh it off. "Stephen, I'm sure you remember Wade Wilson? It's been too long since we were graced with his humorous anecdotes." 

"Of course I remember!" Stephen replied, laughing nervously. "We were just getting ourselves reacquainted before you popped over. Wade, Peter, please join us as we give you a tour of our beautiful new home!"

Before they could join Tony and Stephen for the tour, Peter narrowed his eyes at Wade and looked at him sternly. 

"Amityville Horror, really?" Peter asked. 

"Hey, I forgot that Stephen was the one who was afraid of ghosts and that comment was directed at Tony," Wade said defensively. 

"How can someone two years older than me be such a child?" 

"Because I'm fun!" 

Peter rolled his eyes as he and Wade went up the steps of the front porch and let themselves into the house.

The outside of the house appeared to have shown it's age, but inside was a different story. The majority of the house had been updated and upgraded by the previous owners, from the country kitchen of Stephen's dreams to the two and a half bathrooms. The three bedrooms located on the second floor were perfect for having company over as they animatedly talked about the housewarming party they planned to have once they were completely situated. Other highlights of the house included the home office space that Tony planned to set up as he worked remotely for Stark Industries, the fireplace in the living room, and the dinning room where Stephen was excited to serve Thanksgiving dinners for years to come. Of course, a house this old was not immune to being completely renovated. There was nothing that could be done about the original hardwood floors, which had a slight squeak if one stepped on a certain floorboard. There was also the detached garage which Tony found to be an unusual feature. Yet, despite these things, Stephen and Tony found the house to be perfect. Well, almost perfect. 

"Now that we've given you the tour," said Stephen, "I'm sure you both know why you're really here. Well, mainly you, Peter." 

"Ah, yes," Peter nodded, not forgetting the real reason for his visit. "You're in need of my gift." He shot a condescending smile at Tony. 

"I had no idea that this was something you had possessed," Stephen explained. "See, as happy as I am that we were able to afford such a house like this, I couldn't help but think in the back of my mind about what happened to the previous owners. Were they okay? Did they move on properly? I couldn't live with that guilt and that was when Tony called you. He only told me about your gift after he called you. Of course, I could understand why you would want to keep an ability like this to yourself." 

"I'm sure you can understand," said Peter, trying not to roll his eyes back into his head. 

"We just want to make sure that whoever was in this house last isn't still lingering on," Tony added. "I mean, I doubt that there is anyone here, but if this will put Stephen's mind at ease," Tony rubbed Stephen's arm reassuringly with a warm smile, "then I want to be sure that I'm doing what I can." 

Peter took a deep breath and nodded. "Sure. Can you give me a moment alone in the house?" 

"Of course!" Tony agreed. "We need to talk to the movers anyway. Wade, I'll show you the backyard." 

"Actually, I'll need Wade to help me with this." 

Tony and Stephen were surprised at first, but nodded. "Alright," said Tony. "Stephen and I will let you be."

When the door shut, Peter closed his eyes and tried to empty his thoughts. He opened his eyes and began to walk around. He started with the hallway, his finger tips lightly brushing the walls. Wade was right behind him, observing his actions with great curiosity. Peter moved onto the kitchen, seeing if he could feel a presence, but there was nothing. As he moved along the first floor of the house, walking into the dinning room, passing into the living room and going into the home office, Peter couldn't find any form of spirits. He tired going up the stairs and checking out the bedrooms. Unfortunately, that proved to be fruitless as well as he and Wade checked in every room. He couldn't believe that he really drove all this way just to find that there were no ghosts in this house. Peter was pissed that Tony would really waste his time on this.

"So that's it?" Wade asked, feeling disappointed. "No ghosts? I was so sure we'd be able to find some Victorian ghost that we could introduce them to Carly Rae Jepsen." 

"You're telling me," Peter scoffed. "I can't believe that I found nothing. I was so sure that there was something in this house." 

"Did you get a vibe while they were giving us a tour?" 

"No, but I felt something when we got out of the car. After we got in the house, it just kind of faded." 

"What are you trying to say? Is the vibe you're getting from the house or is it from Tony and Stephen?" 

Peter shrugged. "I don't know. But I know I felt it. I know it!" 

"And I believe you," Wade held Peter in his arms and kissed him tenderly. "I'll always believe you because I love you so fucking much." 

"I know," Peter nodded, holding Wade closer. "I love you too." 

"We should probably go out there and make small talk about our jobs." 

"Can you give me a minute? I'll meet you outside." 

"Okay." 

Peter walked around the house once more after Wade went to join Tony and Stephen out on the front porch. He knew that he felt something and he was determined to find it. He went back up the stairs and checked every room again but still found nothing. When he went back downstairs, he felt a cold chill brush against his arm that stopped him in his tracks. Peter felt his senses begin to heighten as he walked down the hall. 

"Hello?" Peter called out. "Is there anyone here?"

He walked down the hall, following whatever it was all the way to a door at the end. He didn't notice the door from the tour. He wondered why it was skipped altogether since Stephen insisted on showing them the laundry room of the house. He reached for the door and twisted the knob. It was locked. He struggled to open the door but it was no use. Suddenly, the cold chill was gone. Perhaps all of this really was in Peter's head and he turned around to go join the others outside. 

"I wouldn't try opening that if I were you." A woman's voice called out to Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny story, the one ghost song was something that I was singing to myself while I was cooking yesterday and thus added it in. It was going to be longer but figured, nah.


	4. Natasha the Somewhat Friendly Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me? posting two chapters in one day??  
> this was originally going to be part of the previous chapter but decided to break it out.  
> thank you all for continuing to read this and I hope you all enjoy this!!

Peter normally didn't get scared of ghosts. He had grown accustomed to their presence that it was basically second nature for him. But seeing the redheaded ghost leaning against the locked door gave him a genuine scare. She looked like a spy with the way she was dressed, wearing a tan leather jacket over a black t-shirt, jeans and black ankle boots. She smirked at the young man, amused at the scare that she unintentionally gave him. 

"Calm down kid," the ghost spoke up. "I'm not here to scare you away. Though, I can't say the same about your boyfriend. I wanted to give him a spook but he was way too damn excited about wanting to be able to see me." 

"Oh really?" Peter crossed his arms, unconvinced. "And what makes you think I'd believe you?" 

The ghost scoffed, shaking her head. "You don't remember me, do you?" 

Peter took a closer look at the ghost. The red hair was undeniable but then he looked deep into her ice blue eyes. He did know that face. Natasha was a loose acquaintance of Tony's. Peter met her once back when he was in college. She was nice, from what he could remember of her. It was a bit jarring to see her now after all these years. 

"Oh my god, Natasha," Peter gasped. "What happened to you?" 

"What do you think happened to me? I'm dead." Natasha rolled her eyes and paced around the hallway. "I've been stuck in this house for who knows how long..." 

"Two years," Peter replied. "At least, I think that's what Tony said." 

"Does he know that I'm the one who died in this house?" 

"Realtor never disclosed the identities of the previous owners. Only that they passed away in this house." 

"Good, good," Natasha was pleased. "Nice of them to leave out the gory details of my tragic demise. Not that the actual death was gory. Kind of a disappointment." Natasha began to circle around Peter, looking him up and down with genuine curiosity. "So tell me, Peter, what brings you over to the new Stark residence?" 

"Apparently I'm here because you might be potentially scaring Tony's boyfriend, Stephen. So I gotta put everyone's minds at ease that this is a safe house."

"Ha!" Natasha cackled. "You think I'm the only ghost they have to worry about? I'm one of the nicer ghosts in this house." 

"The nicer ones?" Peter's lip began to tremble as he took a couple of steps back. 

"There are worse ghosts in here and if I were Tony, I'd get his and Stephen's asses the hell out of dodge and never look back. I only wished Clint and I had done it sooner." 

"Clint is here?" Peter was intrigued, taking a couple of steps forward. "Where is he?" 

"He only talks to me," Natasha replied defensively. "Also, why are you helping Tony anyway? After everything that he's done to our friend group..." Natasha stopped herself from continuing as she took a deep breath. "Look, I don't care why. All I know is that you're in grave danger." 

"Why? Why am I in danger?" 

Before Peter could get an answer, Natasha was gone. There was no use in poking Natasha to come back out. Ghosts were able to come and go as they pleased. Provoke them and there were consequences to be paid. 

Peter joined the others on the front porch. He didn't tell them who the ghost was that he spoke to, only that Tony and Stephen should seriously consider calling a priest to bless the house, for there was only so much that he could do. It wasn't exactly lying, but if Natasha wanted her presence to be known to Tony, she would've made it known. Perhaps by keeping this part hidden, he was doing a favor for her.

Peter and Wade offered to take Stephen and Tony out to dinner but they had made dinner plans prior. With that, they made their way back home. Wade drove while Peter stared blankly out the window, mulling over what Natasha had warned him. If anything, the vibes that he had gotten from the house proved to be correct, but he couldn't help wonder about the grave danger that was within the house.

"You've been really quiet since we've left their house," Wade noticed, sitting down on the couch next to Peter. "Are you feeling okay?"

Peter just stared blankly at the television. "I thought that by the time we left the house those bad vibes would just go away." He slowly turned his head to his Wade. "Why am I still thinking about that house?" 

"Pete, you won't have to think about that house once Tony and Stephen call that priest. Then we'll all have a laugh about it for years to come!" 

"Wade, what would you say if I told you that I think the house from my dreams is the same as Tony's?" 

Wade was silent, trying to carefully choose his words on what to say. It was a crazy admission but at the same time, it was definitely plausible and if Peter was feeling a vibe, who was he to tell him that he was crazy? 

"Doesn't sound far-fetched to me," Wade replied. "But are you certain it's the exact same house? You've even said that you were never able to distinguish specifics about the house." 

"It has to be, otherwise, why else would I have felt like something was wrong? Well, other than the fact that a ghost told me there was something wrong with it..." 

"You saw a ghost?" Wade shrieked. "Why didn't you tell them about it?" 

"Because she didn't want to make her presence known! That's like a general rule ghosts have. If they want to be seen, they'll make themselves be seen, regardless of if they have my gift or not. This one had to bide her time before she could talk to me."

"What was she like? Was she a ghost from when the house was built? Did she look scary? I wonder how she feels about living with two control freaks?" 

"Strangely enough, I knew her. She was an old friend of Tony's. Natasha. She and this guy I knew, Clint, they were the previous homeowners and they died in the house. Never told me how, but then she said I was in grave danger."

"Sounds you average ghost trapped in an old house," Wade nodded. "But if she was friends with Tony, why didn't she try to scare him while we were given the tour? Or not even that, why didn't she try to warn him?" 

"You know how Tony is," Peter sighed. "He doesn't have very many friends left. Sometimes I find myself questioning why I haven't completely cut ties with him." 

"Because you're a good person who has so much love to give and tries to see the best in people," Wade smiled. "It sounds like you did this to protect both parties. And who knows, maybe the priest can do something with the house or maybe Natasha can try to convince the other ghosts to leave Tony and Stephen be! You never know!" 

"Yeah, you never know."

Pushing away any further worries, Peter cuddled up with Wade on the couch and continued on watching television. Later that night, Peter tried to sleep as comfortably as he could but found himself tossing and turning as he tried to fall asleep. He closed his eyes shut and when he opened them, he found himself back in Tony and Stephen's house. Except when he looked around at what was inside the house, it wasn't Tony and Stephen's. 

All the furniture was completely different as Peter walked around the house. If he had to guess, the style was definitely more art deco than modern. Other pieces in the living room that Peter noticed were a grand piano, a couple of Andy Warhol pictures, and a bar for entertaining. 

The sound of two people laughing filled up the kitchen. Peter wandered over there to find who it was coming from. Standing at the corner of the room, he saw a blonde haired man with rugged looks sitting at the kitchen table, twirling his glass of red wine. He was looking over at a familiar redhead who was preparing two juicy steaks. Natasha walked over to the kitchen table with a smile on her face, setting down the plates for them to enjoy. Dinner did look delicious and Peter thought about going over there to ask if Natasha could make him a steak, but then he remembered that this was a dream. Instead, he just watched Clint and Natasha enjoy their dinner with each other.

"My god, these look delicious," the man marveled. "Natasha, have I ever told you how amazing you are?" 

"Only all the time, Clint," Natasha smiled, kissing him fondly on the lips."But I do appreciate it." 

"How did we manage to get so lucky?" Clint asked, cutting into his steak. "I mean, we have a beautiful home in a wonderful neighborhood, we're finally together after years of never getting the timing right." He took a bite and moaned over how good the steak tasted. "And this steak is perfect! Seriously, could things get any better?" 

Natasha couldn't help but smile at this lovable idiot as she took a bite of her steak. Things really couldn't have been better for her. The genuine happiness that she felt with Clint was infectious, like a high that she could never come down from. But perhaps she knew how things could get better. 

"Clint," Natasha reached for his hand, "I think I'm ready."

Clint straightened himself up in his seat after he heard this. "You're ready?" 

"I am. Clint, I've spent so many years running away from the possibility of love because I didn't think it was something that was in the cards for me. But you, you've always been there for me in more ways than I could imagine and that was when I realized that love was real! The timing has never been more perfect like now. Let's get married. Tomorrow!" 

"You mean it?" 

Natasha nodded, happy tears streaming down her face. "I want nothing more." 

"Natasha, I..." 

Clint tried to speak but the words weren't coming out. He began to cough, his face changing colors. He fell off his seat and continued to cough, gasping for air.

"Clint? Clint!" Natasha rushed over to try to save him but it was no use. His face was all purple and his body, lifeless. She cradled his body in her arms and wept. But then the crying stopped and suddenly she felt her throat began to close up. She clutched her throat, running around the kitchen to find something that could possibly save her. The room began to spin all around as she gasped for air. With one last breath, she fell over on top of Clint and died. 

Peter watched in horror as the events transpired. He shook his head and ran over to Clint and Natasha. When he tried to pick up their bodies, his hands went right through them, as if he were transparent. Of course he couldn't save them, it was all just a dream. A terrible, horrible dream. He looked at the steaks that Natasha spent all her time preparing. Only one bite was taken out of each steak before they had met their demise. Something had to have been done with the steaks and he wondered if it had something to do with what was behind a certain door he had seen earlier. He was going to find out but before he could walk any further, he felt something grab his leg. Peter fell over on his face and, with the flick of the wrist, was flipped over on his back. He looked to see that Natasha's face was pale as a ghost, her eyes black as night and filled with tears of blood and her teeth razor sharp. He was so frightened by this that he didn't see that Clint had grabbed hold of his other leg, who had the exact same face as Natasha's. 

"I SAID DON'T GO IN THERE!" Natasha screamed at Peter, dragging him across the kitchen floor. 

Peter jolted straight up, panting and shaking. His side of the bed was soaked in sweat. Wade was fast asleep on his side. He looked over at the clock. 3:28. He rummaged through his nightstand, looking for something that he should've had on him a while ago. Luckily for him, there was a blank blue and red notebook he had gotten for his birthday from Aunt May a couple of years ago. Who would've figured that this would've come in handy now? With a pen in hand, he took the notebook into the living room and turned on a lamp. Opening up the first blank page, Peter documented everything that he had been dreaming about that house, starting with the very first night he dreamt about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was...a lot  
> i need to lay down for a while now


	5. Chateau a la Poltergeist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had no clue what i was going to name this chapter until i finished this up.  
> honestly didn't think i was going to update today tbh but here we are!

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you have the makings of an Alan Moore graphic novel!" Wade remarked, flipping through all the pages of Peter's dream journal. "I mean, the lady with the bleeding eyes would make Stephen King shudder!" 

"Not exactly the reaction that I was expecting from you but at this rate, any reaction that doesn't result in me being sent away will do," said Peter, finishing up the rest of his mimosa. 

Wade and Peter were having Sunday brunch, specially prepared by Wade at home, going over everything that Peter was able to draw and scribble down regarding the house. The notes he wrote were a jumbled mess and the drawings looked like a big cluster of squiggles that resembled some sort of house and the two ghosts he had dreamed about. But in Peter's defense, he did write and draw everything in the wee hours of the morning. The fact that Wade could even make out any of incoherent writings and drawings were a miracle to begin with.

"And you know the two ghosts from your dream?" Wade pointed to the ghosts Peter drew on the last page. 

Peter nodded. "Natasha and Clint. I knew them."

"Did they know Tony?" 

"Yup." 

"See, that's the thing that doesn't add up. You could see Natasha but Tony couldn't see her. Also, how is it that no one knows what happened to these two? I mean, if Tony was friends with them, wouldn't he be the least bit concerned of their well being?" 

"Like I said before, ghosts can choose who they want to appear to. Natasha chose to appear to me but Clint didn't. As far as Natasha and Clint's whereabouts, they kind of dipped out from the friend group a couple of years ago and no one had heard from them since. Well, no one knew of what had happened to them until I found out last night." Peter ran his fingers through his hair, thinking about how happy Natasha and Clint looked together. "I didn't know either of them that well but from what Tony told me, it sounded like the two of them were perfect for each other. They had been friends for a very long time, but they never got the timing right and once they did it was just...gone, in an instant." 

"I don't want you to beat yourself up over this," Wade took Peter's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "There was nothing you could do." 

Peter smiled weakly. "I know. But why did I have this dream? I mean, death by a steak sounds like a really lame way to die." 

"Peter, you said that Natasha was one of the nicer ghosts in the house, correct?" 

"Yeah." 

"Did she say anything else about the ghosts at the house or in your dream?" 

"Not that I can recall." 

Wade pursed his lips. "Peter, I don't think Natasha accidentally put in a spice in the steaks that killed them." 

"Are you saying...?" 

"I'm saying that a ghost killed Clint and Natasha and I bet they don't know it. Or they do. I don't know, they've been in there for two years. I'm sure they've made friends with one other ghost." 

"Do you think whatever killed them is behind that locked door down the hallway?" 

Wade shrugged. "Only one way to find out!"

"Wade, we can't just show up uninvited. Besides, maybe the priest thats supposed to come there today will bless the house and set all the ghosts free. Maybe then I can stop having these weird ass dreams. Anything to keep me far away from that house." 

Peter's phone began to ring. He answered without checking who it was. "Hello?" 

"Underoos! Are you busy?" 

Peter cringed at the nickname. No one had called him that since his first year of college and the only one who insisted on still calling him that was Tony. It was a step above "Penis Parker" from high school, which wasn't saying much. 

"Tony, I thought you had the priest coming over to bless the house?" 

"See, that's the thing. The priest came over and...well...something happened." 

"Something happened?" Peter looked at Wade with wide eyes. 

"Yeah, hold on." Peter could hear Stephen and an older gentleman, presumably the priest, talking rapidly as Tony walked out of the room, up the stairs, and into another room, shutting the door behind him. "So the priest comes over, goes over his thing and takes his own tour of the house so that he can properly bless it. All is fine and dandy until I hear a scream coming from the upstairs bathroom. Stephen and I run up the stairs to find out what's wrong and we found the priest shaking in the bathtub, his face was all drained. We ask him what happened and he says that he heard a woman's voice."

"A woman's voice?" Peter wondered if perhaps Natasha was giving the priest a fair warning of what was in the house. "What did she say?" 

"She said something about all who live here will perish. Spooked him out real good. He thinks we need more than just the house to be blessed. He's talking professional work but quite frankly, I don't know about that. I mean, asking a so-called paranormal expert to walk around my house just to to charge me $5,000 for some stupid Ouija board? No thanks. Which is why I'm calling you. I mean, sure, one would consider you a paranormal expert, but at least ghosts will talk to you. I need you to come back to the house today." 

Peter couldn't believe what he was being asked. "I told you what I saw yesterday. Couldn't you guys get someone to exorcise the house?" 

"We asked about that but no dice. C'mon Parker," Tony pleaded. I've put a lot of money into this house, especially to be with Stephen. It's bad enough that he's already freaking out about it." 

Peter was starting to get annoyed. "So you just left him to deal with the priest? That's real smart, Stark." 

"Hey! I didn't even want the priest to come into the house," Tony snapped. "But you're the one who was so sure it was going to work!" Tony knew that he was getting heated up and pulled back from the phone to take a couple of deep breaths. "Look, I just really want to put Stephen at ease that we didn't make a mistake with this house. Can you do me this huge favor? Please?" 

Peter pulled the phone away and silently cursed himself. He hated that he was too nice of a guy. He hated that no matter how much he wanted to say no to Tony, he knew that deep down he couldn't. He knew that it was a bad idea to go back into that house but at the same time, he figured he must have had some immunity if he was able to get Natasha to appear to him. But he still knew he was going to regret what he was about to say to Tony. "Sure, I'll come by in an hour." He didn't even bother to hear what else Tony had to say as he hung up the phone and angrily stabbed at his eggs. 

"You're going back to the house?" asked Wade. "What about what you said earlier about never wanting to go back?" 

"Yeah, well, apparently I'm the only expert they can trust!" Peter laughed sarcastically and continued to stab at his eggs. "Why the hell was I born with this stupid gift? Why couldn't I have been gifted with more athletic abilities? Would sure solve all my problems." 

"Jocks aren't really my type," said Wade, trying to make Peter laugh. It worked a little. "Hey, you know that I am 100% behind you in all of this, right? And I'm not just saying in the bedroom either. Anyway, regardless of what the hell is going on between you and Tony, just know that I'm here for you. In good times, bad times..." 

"Are you seriously trying to sneak in some Led Zeppelin lyrics right now?" Peter was trying not to laugh. "But thank you Wade. This is exactly why I love you." 

"I thought it was my big, sexy personality that struck your fancy?" 

Peter smirked. "It's one of the many things..." 

Wade smiled devilishly. "Well, Peter, as much as I'd like for you to take me on top of our kitchen table, we have some ghosts to expel from chateau a la Poltergeist. Now, do you think the ghosts will respond well if I wear my Beetlejuice costume?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting more ghosts, i swear.  
> i'm sorry that this chapter was so short and so meh


	6. Modern Day Addams Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more ghosts y'all! also some slight drama  
> enjoy!

Peter took his sweet time driving into New London. He didn't want to go. He sure as hell would've rather have been anywhere else right about now. And yet, here he was, driving in his beat up red Toyota with the Ramones blasting and Wade sitting on the passenger's side, who ended up wearing normal clothes. 

"Apparently, I forgot I got it ruined at the Halloween party two years ago when Francis spilled fruit punch all over the jacket," Wade frowned. "Plus, the pants were a little too tight around the crotch." 

"You realize you're going to have to be on your best behavior if the priest is still there, right?" Peter asked. 

Wade gasped. "And what makes you think I won't behave?" 

Peter didn't say anything at first. He just stared at Wade blankly and replied, "You're you."

They pulled up to the front of the house and got out of the car. There was no one else parked in front of the house, which was a relief for Peter. Not just for the sake of Wade saying something wildly inappropriate but he wondered if the priest could've sensed that Peter possessed such an unusual gift. Now that was the last person he wanted to know. 

Before Peter could knock on the door, Stephen swung it wide open. The greetings were short as he let Peter and Wade inside. Stephen was an absolute mess, there was no questioning it. Of course, it was natural to be this worried when there was the possibility of evil spirits living in a new house. The three of them took a seat in the living room. Peter looked around and noticed that most of the furniture that was moved was unpacked. Compared to what he saw in his dream last night, he could only conclude that Stephen and Tony had tacky taste in furniture. It looked as if they were in a psychiatrist's office. Peter could tell that Wade had the same thought. Tony finally came into the living room, joining Stephen on the other couch as they sat directly across from Wade and Peter.

"So you already know that the priest didn't work out. Hence why," Tony looked at Wade curiously, "I guess both of you are here." 

"Oh, you know me," Wade smiled. "Can't resist the possibility of meeting a ghost!" 

"He's my backup, Tony," Peter explained. "You know, in case we find something that could be potentially harmful within these walls." 

"Potentially?" Stephen scoffed. "The priest said he heard a woman's voice that threatened him! There is definitely something harmful within these walls so the both of you sure as hell better be able to do something about it!"

"And we will!" Peter tried to reassure him, but he was starting to lose his patience. "You have to let me do what I need to do. If whomever threatened you wants to talk to me, they'll talk. You can't provoke a ghost because if you do, they'll be pissed." 

"Is there anything that we can do?" Tony asked. 

Peter felt a cold chill on his arms. He recognized who was trying to contact him. "Personally, I think it'd be best if you guys leave us alone in your house so that we can do what needs to be done. I've sensed one of the spirits trying to make contact with me already and she doesn't want to see either of you." 

"How do you know all of this?" Stephen couldn't believe what he was hearing. 

"Because he knows what he's doing, you asshole!" Wade snapped. "Do you want the job done right or do you want to become chopped liver?" 

Tony muttered something under his breath, cursing Wade out before he replied. "Okay then. I guess now would be a good time for Stephen and I to get some groceries." He looked back at Stephen. "Shall we leave them to it?"

"I guess," Stephen replied quietly. 

The two of them left Peter and Wade alone in the house Once they were gone, Peter felt the cold chill disappear as he and Wade walked around the house. 

"Natasha, they're gone!" Peter called out. "I know you're here." 

"As am I!" Wade chimed in. "Might as well show yourself so that I can finally say that I've seen a ghost." 

"Not helping," Peter whispered. He and Wade walked into the kitchen. "Natasha, why did you scare that priest? You're really starting to scare Tony and Stephen here." 

Just then, Peter and Wade heard foot steps and giggling. Wade jumped, grabbing Peter's back. Peter's eyes shifted, trying to find the source. Grabbing the nearest object of defense, a Stark Industries coffee mug, Peter walked slowly into the dining room and through the living room.

"Alright, I'm not fucking around here," Peter declared, raising the empty mug over his head. "Show yourself or I will throw the gauntlet down!"

"Quite a petty looking gauntlet if you ask me," a boy's voice replied in a thick Eastern European accent. "Does he look strong enough to throw it, Wanda?" 

"He's not going to throw it, Pietro," the girl's voice replied, her accent the same as his. "I can call his bluff like I see it." 

Wade yelped, which made Peter jump up when they saw two ghosts appear before their very eyes. They were young, at least college aged if Peter had to guess. Pietro had longish silver blonde hair with prominent brown roots showing, looked athletically built, and wore a dark blue track suit with track shoes. If Peter had to take a guess, he must have been on the team, based on the UConn logo that was on his chest. Wanda had long, wavy, fiery red hair and wore dark makeup around her eyes. She wore a flowy black dress underneath a red leather jacket with black tights and a pair of thigh high brown boots. Wade stepped from behind Peter and stood next to him, surprised at what he was seeing right now.

"Oh my god," Wade whispered. "Is this real? I'm not seeing things, am I?" 

"You're not seeing things," Wanda replied. She walked around Wade and Peter, carefully inspecting them. "We're here. In the flesh. Though, flesh may be a loose term considering our current situation." 

"What happened to you guys?" asked Peter. 

"We're dead, duh!" 

"Wanda, calm down!" Pietro shushed her. "You'll have to be patient with my twin. She's a bit...emotional." 

"Were you the one who scared the priest?" asked Wade. 

Wanda narrowed her eyes. "Yes. If you're looking for me to apologize, you're fresh out of luck." 

"But why did you scare him?" asked Peter. 

"Because no priest in the world is going to rid all of the spirits that live in this house." 

"There's more?" Wade's eyes widened. 

"Yeah, but we hardly ever see them come out," Pietro explained. "We tend to stay away from them as much as we can." 

"These other ghosts, when was the last time that you saw them?" Peter asked. 

Pietro looked down at his feet. "I really don't want to talk about it." 

Peter was disappointed but at least he asked. He turned to the side and could feel Wanda burrowing her eyes into him. She stared at him with great intensity and it was starting to creep him out a bit. 

"There's something different about you," Wanda pointed out. 

"I know, I can talk to ghosts," Peter admitted. 

"No, it's not that." Wanda looked at him more closely. "There's something about you that I've never seen before. I could feel it the moment you set foot on the yard." 

"Wh-what do you mean?" Peter stammered. 

"Wanda! Pietro! Stop trying to scare Jennifer Love Hewitt." 

Everyone turned to see a man leaning against the doorway, wearing a purple hoodie underneath a black t-shirt. Behind him was a familiar redhead, wearing the same outfit she was wearing yesterday. 

"Sorry, Clint," Wanda and Pietro muttered as Clint and Natasha joined everyone in the living room. 

"I still can't get over Tony's shitty taste in furniture. Unless this was a joint effort, which, in that case, they both have shitty taste in furniture." Clint looked around at the furniture as he took a seat on one of the couches. He turned to Peter and smiled politely. "What's up, Ghost Whisperer?" 

"Ah, nice reference," Wade commented. "And I liked the one earlier. Deep cut, I like your style." 

Clint gave Wade a slight head nod. 

"I thought I told you to stay away from this house," Natasha scolded, joining Clint in the seat next to him while Wanda and Pietro sat down cross-legged on the floor. 

"I tried to stay away from here, but Tony called me with an issue," Peter explained. "Apparently Wanda scared off the priest that was here earlier and thus, I was summoned." 

"I know. I told her to do that." 

"You what?" 

"Hey, it was better that she do it than one of the other ghosts." 

Peter rolled his eyes. "Well, since all of you are here, you mind answering a few questions for me, like what the hell happened to you and Clint?" 

"It's pretty obvious you know that after Tony fucked things up with our friend group, we split," Clint replied. "Natasha and I dipped out, did some traveling, settled here, and then we died." 

"By steak poisoning," said Wade. 

Natasha looked at him and Peter with genuine surprise. "Who told you about that?" 

"No one did," said Peter. "But lately I've been having dreams about this house and last night I had a dream that the both of you were having dinner. Natasha, you made steaks. The two of you looked so happy. You guys were ready to begin the rest of your lives with each other. Get married. But then...I saw Clint choking and Natasha, you looked so scared. You're not the kind of person that gets scared of things, from what Tony told me, but I could tell that you were genuinely terrified. You were so distraught and then you were coughing and then...well..." 

Clint and Natasha were quiet for a moment. Natasha grabbed Clint's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. 

"We were going to start a family too," Clint added. "We were going to grow old together and everything. Now, we're just stuck here. I miss knowing everything that's going on in the outside. Life just feels like you're in a museum, destined to stay locked up in a glass case while the world I have known just turns past." 

"Do you at least know who poisoned your steaks?" asked Wade. 

"We've been trying to figure that out the past two years but at this point, it's all moot," Natasha said with defeat. "Right now, I've been focused on this strange new family Clint and I have found." She smiled fondly at Pietro and Wanda. "It's strange. They were the first people we saw after we died. They had been kind of lost, wandering this house with no purpose for a year and then, something in me said that I had to help them out. We had to help each other out try to make sense of this afterlife. Took some time to adjust but the other ghosts weren't going to talk to us." 

"We're like a modern day Addams Family, I guess," said Clint. "It's not much, but hey," Clint looked fondly at Natasha, kissing her cheek. "At least the afterlife is better with her." 

"That's actually really sweet," said Wade, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "If I didn't know any better, I would've guessed this story had a happy ending." 

"But it doesn't," said Peter. "And Tony and Stephen will be back here any minute now. So what am I supposed to tell them?" 

"Tell them to get out while they can!" Clint stood up. "Or don't. I don't care. After what he put us and his friends through, I'm surprised that he found someone else that can tolerate him. But enough about that. The longer they stay there, the worse it's only going to get for them." 

"Can't you guys protect them? If you're all supposed to be the nicer ones, can you at least try to do something?" 

"Peter, you don't get it!" Natasha raised her voice. "You say you don't want anything to do with this house and you try to pretend that you and Tony aren't the best of friends. Yet here you are, back in the house when I warned you and trying to protect Tony. God, when are you going to get it through your thick head that he's the reason why no one talks to each other anymore? When are you going to realize that Steve was right all this time?" 

"That's a lie!" Peter protested, trying to square up against Clint and Natasha. "Tony didn't know any better and everything was already fucked before then!" 

Natasha stepped back from Peter, the least bit intimidated."Then why are you the only one who's been showing up for Tony after all these years?" 

"Because no one else will!" 

Peter threw the coffee mug at Natasha, but she had ducked in time and it hit the wall, shattering into little pieces. 

"HEY!" 

Peter and Wade turned around, frozen at the sight of Tony holding a bag of groceries in his hand. They turned around but saw that the ghosts had disappeared once more. They turned back to Tony, who looked livid when he saw the shattered coffee mug on the floor. 

"What the fuck is going on here?" Tony demanded. 

"I know this all looks bad," Wade tried to explain, "but the thing is," 

"I saw the ghost that scared the priest," Peter admitted. 

Wade and Tony looked at Peter with shock. He didn't know why he admitted to this. Perhaps it was the heat of the moment or the fact that he couldn't lie about not seeing anything a second time. Either way, he was just as surprised as they were. 

"You saw the ghost?" Stephen came into the room, carrying two bags of groceries in his hands. 

"Yes, I saw her. She's a young girl," said Peter. "She doesn't mean any harm to you guys. She was just frustrated with people prodding around in her business where they shouldn't be. She won't hurt you guys. She was just...frustrated with the priest in her space." 

Tony and Stephen looked at one another. Somehow they had bought Peter's story. It wasn't a complete lie but anything to try to keep them calm was enough at this rate. 

"So was that who you were screaming at earlier?" Tony asked. 

"Huh?" 

"You were yelling at someone. You said something like, 'no one else will,' and then you threw a mug. What was that about?" 

"Same ghost," Peter lied. "She was angry that I was here and I tried to explain to her that she made herself known to me and that no one else will try to find a way to keep her at bay." 

"Hmm, I see." Tony looked down at the mess on the floor and then back up at Peter. "So is it resolved then?" 

"As best as I could. I mean, they'll do what they can to stay out of your way since I know how much this house means to you guys." 

Tony nodded. "Well then, I guess that should be good for now. I really can't thank you enough for this. I know it seems like I've been asking you a lot lately but I really do appreciate what you do for me. You've always been a good friend to me." 

Peter suddenly felt a cold chill rub against his neck. He turned his head slightly to see Natasha, Clint, Pietro, and Wanda looking at Peter very suspiciously from the kitchen. He turned back to Tony and smiled nervously. "Yup, what are friends for?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly have no clue how many ghosts i plan to add to this story  
> all i know is that i'm definitely not done adding characters


	7. Midnight Findings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the name of the chapter is lame, I know.  
> anyway, enjoy!

"Okay, I know this is something that's normally reserved for you to say to me, but what the fuck was that back there?" 

Peter's knuckles were gripped to the steering wheel as he drove away from the house. Everything from the new ghosts to the fight he had with Natasha to breaking Tony's mug, his head was spinning and his emotions were running high. He was ready to snap at any moment.He didn't need the questions right now. Wade knew exactly what the hell had happened back there so why was he even asking?

"Wade, I don't know what the fuck just happened!" Peter exclaimed. He was starting to get upset. "I don't know why Natasha wants me to stay away from the house! I don't know why Tony insists on having me come back there! I don't know why I can't seem to get the house out of my head everywhere I go! I wish I had more to say but I don't! It's not you, Wade, it's just that maybe I'm just a shitty ghost whisperer and that's all I'll amount to be!" 

Wade was shocked to see Peter get this heated. He could tell that he was frustrated with everything that had transpired and second guessed even asking in the first place. Wade opened his mouth to offer some words of comfort but decided against it, instead just sitting in silence the rest of the car ride home. 

Upon returning home, Wade went back to the restaurant while Peter was alone in their home. Wade had said that there was an emergency and was needed to handle things right away but Peter knew that wasn't the case. Still, at least it was considerate of him to give Peter some time by himself. At home, Peter flipped the television on and had on a random house renovation show. He wasn't paying too much attention to it. Instead, he thought about how he wanted to give the house that Tony and Stephen lived in a full blow renovation. Tear everything apart from the inside out and just rebuild from there. He wanted nothing more than to watch that place go down. Maybe then, all of the ghosts that were living there would finally go off and haunt elsewhere. That was how these cases worked, right? 

Peter didn't realize that he had spent hours watching the episodes of the same renovation show until he saw Wade come in the front door at dark. His eyes had been glued to the television the whole time, only peeling away when Wade came over to him by the couch with food in a bag. 

"I cooked your favorite," Wade offered the bag, kissing Peter on his temple. "Figured you probably haven't eaten since we got back." 

"I haven't." Peter shifted his weight on the couch and looked at Wade with apologetic eyes. "Wade, the way that I acted in the car on the way home was inexcusable and I want to apologize to you. I know you were only trying to ask me a genuine question but I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I'm sorry." 

"I understand that you were frustrated and I accept," said Wade, patting Peter's hand. "And I want you to know that you are not a shitty ghost whisperer. You are more than that. You're smart, kind, amazing, thoughtful, sensitive, the best boyfriend I could ever ask for! But more importantly, you're a good man, Peter Parker. You're allowed to have moments of frustration where everything just goes to shit." 

"Thank you." Peter took the burger out of the bag and unwrapped it. A mac n' cheese burger, just the way that he liked it. Wade really was good to him. He wolfed the burger down in no time, feeling very satisfied. When he was finished, Wade and him flipped channels until they found a movie channel that was playing The Shinning, one of their favorite movies. 

"I want to ask you about Steve," Wade spoke up during the movie. "I understand if you don't want to talk about him but it sounds like this guy may have a lot to do with what might be going on with the house." 

Peter tensed up for a minute. "What makes you think he has anything to do with the house?" 

"It's pretty obvious that there was some bad blood that went down between him and Tony that caused this friend group to go their separate ways. I mean, Natasha seems to be the most vocal person on the subject matter." 

"That's shit that's between him and Tony. Me? I only got caught up in the whole thing because I thought I was doing the right thing. Apparently I was wrong." 

"So what did Tony do?" 

"I don't want to talk about it now." 

"It's okay," Wade kissed Peter's lips softly. 

Peter found himself once again trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. He kept tossing and turning so much that it had woken up Wade. Not wanting to disturb Wade's sleeping, Peter went into the living room to go sleep on the couch. It was better that he didn't keep the both of them up since they had work in the morning. Just then, the rain was starting to come down. The thunder and lightning followed, with flashes that flickered behind the curtains. This made it much more difficult for Peter to try to get some sleep. He lay awake, staring at the cracks up on the ceiling and tried to make out the shapes that they made. Soon his eyes were beginning to get heavy, heavier, and heavier...

Peter's face was pressed against a window when he opened his eyes. He looked over to find that he was sitting in a car. A smelly car, he might add, as he took a whiff of the leftover McDonald's fries that permeated it. The boy in the seat next to him looked oddly familiar. He was wearing the same clothes from when Peter met him earlier. Pietro was talking animatedly with a guy and a girl sitting up front. He knew who the girl sitting up front was, but the guy didn't look familiar. He looked to be a couple of years older than Wanda and Pietro, based on the side profile that Peter could make out. He reached out to touch Pietro's shoulder, to try to get his attention, but there was no reaction. He sat quietly in the car, listening in on the conversation. 

"Are you sure we'll even find anything in there?" Pietro asked. "I mean, they say it's haunted for a reason." 

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about joining us," Wanda teased, rolling the window down to blow the smoke out of her cigarette before flicking it onto the street. "C'mon, Quicksilver, you can't always be playing by the rules. Live a little!" She smiled sweetly at the driver. "You're not scared of a little old house, are you Vis?" 

"I'm not scared," Vis replied, "but I think you're crazy to believe there's anything in that house. Besides, are any of those tales even real?" 

"I mean, we didn't drive an hour away from campus for nothing. I swear, we better find something noteworthy in there. Otherwise, it's back to boring old UConn." Wanda peered from her window when she saw the street sign. "There it is! Pull up over there!" 

Vis turned down his lights and pulled up into the driveway and an all too familiar looking house. This really was just Peter's luck to find himself back at that cursed house. But at least this was all just a dream so nothing bad could really happen to him, right? Sliding out on Pietro's side, Peter followed him, Wanda and Vis out of the car as they walked through the yard. The tall grass was well up to their knees and the ground was hard as a rock. They could barely make out how the house looked but it was still as creepy as it was in the daylight. 

"I take it no one ever comes here to maintain the lawn?" Vis asked, standing closely behind Wanda. 

"Of course not, this place is haunted," said Wanda. "Who wants to do yard work on a haunted house?" The door was unlocked. Wanda turned the light on her phone on and led the boys inside the house. From what they could see, the entrance was covered in cobwebs and dust. The walls were barren as they went down the hallway and into the kitchen. The appliances were all different, outdated even. If Peter had to guess, there had definitely been some time since anyone had inhabited that house. But how long? Peter continued to follow the group along as they gave their own guided tour of the house. There wasn't much to see except dusty furniture that had been long forgotten by the previous owners in the living room and soon they were on their way up the stairs. They all looked into each room, trying to see if there were any clues about the previous owners but all they found were outdated toilets and bathtubs. Then they made their way into the master bedroom. Peter barely remembered this room, as Tony explained that he and Stephen had a lot of work that needed to be done in there. There was a massive king size bed that was in one corner of the room, along with some other furniture that was left behind. Peter watched as they explored the room a bit. He noticed Vis walk into the closet and grab a box. He placed it on top of the mattress and sat down. Dusting the dust that had been accumulating, he opened the box. 

"Guys, I found something!" Vis called over. 

Wanda and Pietro joined him over on the bed as he began taking out contents of the box. There were some old papers and photographs inside, one of them detailing the notes on the house. It had been built on June 6th, 1866 by a man named Dr. Henrik Bavarian, a prominent heart surgeon, as a gift to his wife, Gwendoline Bavarian. They had two children while they lived in the house, a boy and a girl. The girl died at a very young age, but the boy, Gregory Bavarian, grew up to be a professor of literature at Yale. After his parents passed away, Gregory purchased his parents house and his own family settled there. Gregory and his wife, Jane, had only one son named Bartholomew. 

Like his dad and his dad before him, Bartholomew was a man that would go on to great prominence, working in the field of medicine. As a pharmacist, he ran a respectable practice in New Haven until the tragic passing of his father. After Gregory died, Bartholomew would move his not only his practice, but his own family into the very same house that he grew up in. 

"And this must be Bartholomew and his family," Vis showed Pietro and Wanda the picture of the beautiful and happy family standing outside their house. Peter looked over their shoulders to see the family photo. It was hard to imagine this was once a house that was passed on from generation to generation. They looked so happy, like they had so much to live for. Well, as much as one could during the early 20th Century. 

"So what happened to them?" Pietro asked. 

"Bartholomew suspected that his wife was having an affair with his partner at the pharmacy so he killed her," Wanda explained. "Covered up the body and everything. But he couldn't live with himself, couldn't live with what he had done, so then he...you know..." 

"Oh." 

"But this is where things get weird: neither of their bodies were to be found. I mean, Bartholomew knew where his wife's was, but his just vanished. But to this day, the two of them still haunt this house, driving those who enter it insane!" 

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Pietro scoffed. "I mean, why can't they just get over it? Also, why didn't Bartholomew just go after his partner if he thought he was banging his wife?" 

"I don't know, Pietro! Why don't you ask the ghost of Bartholomew yourself?" 

"Wanda, don't," Vis spoke up.

"Ha!" Pietro snorted. "And how am I supposed to do that? 

"Go down to the basement and see him for yourself!" Wanda taunted. "Unless you're afraid." 

"I'm not afraid!" 

"I think we really should get out of here," Vis pleaded, closing the box up. "We found what we were looking for so let's just go before we get caught." 

"We're not going to get caught," Wanda rolled her eyes. "No one ever comes to this place anyway and we didn't find what we were looking for! Oh my god, you guys are the worst!" 

Just then, the sound of a man moaning could be heard from outside the bedroom door. Even Peter couldn't help but get spooked out. 

"What the hell was that?" Pietro asked. 

"We need to get out of here now!" Vis declared, grabbing the box with him and heading towards the bedroom door. 

"Wait!" Wanda hissed, grabbing Vis' hand. "It was probably just the wind." 

The moaning grew louder and Vis backed away from the door. 

"Well, fuck," said Pietro. "Wanda, go out there." 

"Why me?"

"Because you're so brave and tough enough to go out there on your own! Unless you're the one who's afraid!" 

"Will you shut up dingus?" 

"No!" Vis declared. "No one is going anywhere without anyone. We all leave together, got it?" 

"Got it," Wanda and Pietro mumbled. 

Vis put his hand back on the doorknob and opened the door. The hall was as empty as it was when they first came up the stairs. With every step that they took, the stairs creaked. They tried not to think to much of it but the ambiance of the house wasn't doing anyone any favors. They had reached the bottom of the stairs, relieved that nothing had jumped out after them. They were starting to wonder if perhaps all that noise was in their imagination. But as Peter followed them down the steps, he knew that this wasn't how things ended. 

"I guess we'll just head out now," said Vis, opening the front door. "Some spookfest this was." 

"Yeah, that was some spookfest," Wanda muttered. 

The front door had slammed shut on Wanda and Pietro. They struggled to open the door as Vis kept pounding on it from behind to do the same. The moaning from before grew louder and louder. Pietro felt a cold hand rub against his neck as he was yanked down and dragged by the lapels of his track jacket. 

"WANDA! WANDA!" Pietro screamed. 

"PIETRO!" Wanda chased after her brother as he was dragged all the way through the living room and into the kitchen, before making it back to the end of the hallway, leading to a mysterious door. The door slowly opened and just as Pietro was dragged down, Wanda grabbed both of Pietro's legs. She struggled in the game of tug of war she was having with the ghost. Whomever was doing this was much stronger than she could've imagined. She tried not to look at the pitch black that was down those stairs. She could've sworn that she had heard the sound of voices wailing, voices of evil one would say. 

"Wanda!" Pietro cried out. "You have to let me go!" 

"I'm not letting you go!" Wanda cried. 

She was no match for this ghost. She pulled and pulled with all her night to save her brother but her grasp was slipping and she ended up losing her footing. Wanda fell head first and soon they were dragged down the stairs, screaming until they reached the bottom of the stairs. 

Peter stood there shaken, trying to piece together what had just happened. He stepped towards the front door and opened it. There was no one to be seen. He checked for a car but none was to be found. Vis was long gone. Back to UConn, Peter guessed. He stepped outside, wondering what his next move was when the moaning came back. Peter turned to see a shapeless figure with bright yellow eyes barrelling towards him, ready to grab him when... 

"FUCK YOU DICKFACE!" Peter shouted as he slammed the door shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *me looking back at the way i ended my chapter* bruh...


	8. Four Years Ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> totally made up a name for Vision, but we're still calling him Vis in this.  
> I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has been reading this story!! Your support is greatly appreciated and I can't thank you enough for letting me share this wild story!

Peter mulled over the notes that he wrote about the dream he had last night. He spent most of breakfast writing down everything that happened that he almost forgot to eat. The moment Peter arrived at work, it was nothing but go go go. It was a nice change of pace for him, considering how crazy the last two days had been. He relished being this busy at work. Soon, the afternoon lull hit and Peter spent this time reviewing his dream journal. There were two key things that he noticed after reviewing everything. One was Vis. Whatever happened to the guy? Peter figured that with the time that had passed, he probably graduated from UConn. The other thing Peter wanted to know was what ever happened to the box? One thing was certain: Vis took the box with him when he left the house. Whatever was in that box was the key to figuring out the evil behind the house. So Peter needed to figure out where Vis was and from there, he could find the box.

After a bit of investigating, Peter was able to find where Vis was. It turned out that Alexander Vision was still back at UConn, only this time working in the paranormal research department. Being back on a college campus was a bit weird for Peter. Most of his best times were out on the quad, hanging with Tony, Steve, and the rest of their friend group. All of that seemed like a lifetime ago as he watched students walking to and from classes, barely paying any mind to Peter. After walking into the wrong building twice, he finally found the office. He felt strange about approaching him. What if Vis didn't want to talk about the events that transpired? What if he ended up throwing the box away? Peter was willing to take those chances as he knocked on the door. 

"Come in," he heard a polite voice call. 

Peter opened the door. He was surprised to find that Alexander Vision looked so normal. He was a man with very thin features: thin blonde hair, a thin face, and a thin smile on his face, like he had been expecting Peter. 

"Are you Alexander Vision?" asked Peter. 

He set his pen down. "Everyone calls me Vis, but, yes, I am." 

"You don't know me, but my name is Peter Parker. I'm a freelance photographer from New Haven." 

"I know who you are. I've been expecting you." 

Peter stood still. "You have?" 

"I have been." Vis got up from his desk and walked over to Peter. "You, sir, have quite a bit of explaining to do with your gift." 

"And I believe you have a bit of explaining to do yourself. But luckily, you might be the answer to everything that's been going on for the past few days." Peter held up his dream journal. "So shall we talk?" 

"Yes. Walk with me."

Peter and Vis found themselves sitting in an empty coffee shop just a block away from campus. Peter drank a caramel cappuccino while Vis ordered an Earl Grey. Peter could tell that Vis was nervous to talk about this, so he figured that he should be the first to talk. He started off by explaining things, from his ability to the dreams about the house and everything he had seen inside the house. He was sure he sounded like a mad man, going on about the details written in the dream journal, but Vis listened intently. Once he was finished, it seemed to have put Vis at ease to open up. From there, he explained everything that had happened the night Wanda and Pietro died.

The night had started off innocently enough, Vista remembered, with Pietro shooting the shit with Wana and him in his townhome. He didn't remember exactly how they got to talking about the Bavarian House, but Wanda always had a morbid fascination with the maccabe. It was a rather dark night so she suggested that they all go check it out for fun. Her twin brother was a little more apprehensive to the idea, but ended up going along anyway. The car that Wands and Pietro shared was in the shop so they all went in Vis'. Wands was excited about the possibility of unearthing some secrets of the house, while Pietro was hoping that this was all some big hoax. Vis didn't care either way. It was just nice to see his girlfriend excited about her interests. 

The details of the house were a big blur for Vis. Everything inside was dark and their only source of light was the one on Wanda's phone. Based on what they found in the rooms, it had appeared that no one had lived in there for some 30-odd years. 

"I guess you could say since the 80's," Vis tried to recollect. "But everything in that house looked so drab so who really knows." 

But it wasn't until they were in the master bedroom that things started to get interesting for the three. While Wanda and Pietro were exploring other corners of the bedroom, Vis found the master closet and stumbled upon a wooden box. Curious, he brought the box over to Wanda and Pietro and the three of them looked at the contents of it. There were quite a few notes about the house when it was first built and some photos of the all the Bavarian families that had lived there before, but that was as much as Vis dug into the box. It was then that the three of them heard a moan. It sounded like a man who was in pain. Though he wouldn't admit it at the time, Pietro was scared of it. Vis just wanted to get everyone out of the house before someone got hurt, which led to an argument between the siblings. Vis did what he could to calm everyone down and once they couldn't hear the noise, they left the room. As soon as everyone reached the front door, Vis was the first to leave. He took one step on the front porch, when suddenly... 

"The door slammed shut behind me," Vis' voice began to falter. "I tried everything to open the door, I slammed my body to try to break the damn thing, but it was no use. All I could hear was their screams. Those screams for help and I..." Vis had to stop himself. He covered his face as Peter gave him a minute to recollect himself. Vis wiped a tear from his eye and continued. "I was powerless. Then it all stopped. I ran to my car to make a call but my phone had died. So I drove to get help but when they arrived at the house, they couldn't find anything at first. I pleaded for them to check again and they said they would, but they wanted me to go home and get some rest. The next morning, I got a call. They found the bodies in the upstairs bathroom, all bloodied and just...I couldn't even bare to look. That was the last time I was in that house, four years ago." 

"Vis," Peter offered a hand of comfort. "I can't imagine the great loss that you must've experienced and no words will ever be able to truly express how deeply sorry I am." 

"Thank you," Vis replied quietly. "But there's one thing about this story that no one knows. When they took the bodies to the coroner's, they went missing. They went back to the house but they found no sign of the them. No could explain it. They've tried to search for them but no luck. Spent a year trying to find them but nothing." Vis finished up his tea and pushed his cup to the side. "They say you have to make the most of every situation. So I guess it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that a year later I ended up writing my thesis on the credibility of parapsychology. I mean, the subject matter was how Wanda and I had met. I guess in a way, I was doing it in her memory. As far as staying at UConn? I did it for Pietro. He was going places as a track star and I would've loved to have seen where he would've gone from here." He looked down at the table and sighed. "But I guess not."

"I bet they would be really proud of you if they could see what you're doing to keep their memory alive," said Peter. 

"So is this the part where you ask me how I knew that you were looking for me?" 

Peter shrugged. "You beat me to the punch." 

Vis leaned forward in his seat. "I saw you in my dream last night. Everything had played out exactly as I told you except for one detail. I came back to the house and I saw a ghost was coming after you. He looked pretty malevolent, like he was about to kill you. But then I heard you scream and the door just slammed shut and the house shook." 

Peter was quite surprised. He didn't remember that part of the dream. All he remembered was screaming at the ghost and the door slammed shut. But he couldn't remember if he did that or if it shut on its own. The shaking of the house was something new too. 

"And based on these dreams you've been having, including the one you had last night," Vis continued, "you're not some ordinary ghost whisperer. There's something greater in you than you're only now discovering." 

"Fuck," Peter whispered. "That's exactly what I need, more crazy powers." 

"I know it's not what you want to hear but based on everything you've told me, there really is no other explanation." 

Peter sighed. "I know what I'm about to ask is going to seem like a lot for you, but given that you actually are well versed in the house as well as other paranormal activities, I need your help in defeating the evil inside there once and for all." 

"You want me to go back there?" Vis asked. "Why?" 

"Because I know you're looking for closure for Wanda and Pietro and that you'd do anything to give them the piece of mind that they can finally rest easy. I saw them yesterday and all they want is to be free."

Vis pondered this for a minute, thinking long and hard about all that he wished he could've done to save the twins. They deserved to be able to move on from whatever was in that house. It wouldn't be an easy task but then again, when was life ever easy? 

"Okay," Vis agreed. "I'll help you. But you're going to need something." 

Vis fished through his bag and set a wooden box down on the table. "Everything we need to know to defeating this house is in this box."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes, we are getting down to business!!


	9. Bavarian Family History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a funny story: I've had the family history brewing in my head before I started this story. This was going to be a one shot featuring Wade and Peter as ghost hunters but the story just kind of snowballed and became the story you're reading now!

"So you mean to tell me that you get PAID to talk about ghosts all day?" Wade asked. "Now that is the best job ever! How come I didn't think of that? Here I was thinking that being a chef was the way to go." 

"Because you have to study in order to be a paranormal researcher," Peter reminded him. "And besides, if you weren't a chef, I wouldn't have met you and had the best mac n' cheese burger in the world." 

Wade tapped Peter's nose. "And this is why I love you." 

"Cute," Vis commented. 

Two days after their initial meeting, Vis called Peter inviting him to meet up in his office to go over everything they knew about the house. When Wade heard that Peter was meeting with a paranormal researcher, he nearly fell out of his chair and begged to come along. Vis was very taken with just how enthusiastic Wade was when the two met. 

"So what do we know about this house?" Wade asked. 

"Well, Wade, I'm glad you asked." Vis walked over to the whiteboard and flipped it over, revealing a detailed timeline with notes written all over. There was so much information that Wade didn't know where to begin. 

"You guys wrote a shit ton," Wade gasped. 

"This wasn't easy," said Peter. "But we did what we could. Vis, you want to start?" 

"Of course! Our story begins on June 6th, 1866. Dr. Henrik Bavarian built this house for his wife, Gwendoline Bavarian, a prominent woman in Connecticut's high society. They had two children. Their daughter, Francine, died at a very young age, but their son, Gregory, grew up to become a professor of literature at Yale. Dr. Henrik and Gwendoline lived in the house until their untimely deaths in 1896. After their passing, Gregory purchased the family home and moved his own family there. Gregory and his wife, Jane, had one son, Bartholomew. Like his grandfather, Bartholomew would go on to become a man of medicine. He opened up his own pharmacy in New Haven and ran a respectable business. He, too, would be drawn back to his childhood home after the passing of his father in 1926. From there, Bartholomew moved his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, and his practice to New London." 

"Wow, this is a really nice story so far," Wade commented.

"Yeah, it's nice so far," said Peter. 

"You see, after moving to New London, things took a turn for Bartholomew," Vis continued. "Presumably due to the loss of his father, Bartholomew grew very depressed and developed an addiction to prescription drugs. A year later, Elizabeth gave birth to a baby boy. The joy of an addition to the family was short lived, as Bartholomew started to grow very paranoid that his wife was having an affair with his partner, Dr. Robert Barnes. There was never any definitive proof of such a thing going on, but Bartholomew had his suspicions. On September 13th, 1927, Bartholomew was waiting up for his wife, smoking a cigar in the study. Their son was sleeping upstairs. Elizabeth had gone out with some girl friends that evening and came home late. That's when the night took a turn. Bartholomew started to spew out accusations regarding his wife's infidelity. She denied such claims, insisting that he was going mad. They argued and argued. Elizabeth had enough and declared that she wanted to leave him. Then, Bartholomew pulls out a knife and slits his wife's throat."

"Oh my god," Wade gasped.

"Now Bartholomew was in shock," said Vis. "He just killed his wife! What was he going to do? He had to think of something. But what? He cleaned everything in the study, scrubbed the floors down until everything was spotless. Now for the body. He could bury it outside, but someone was sure to see him. That was when he had an idea. He would take the body down to the basement, cut everything up into pieces and store all of the contents into boxes. After that, he cleaned up the knife and put it back in his desk in the study. Finally, he went to check on his son one last time before going to sleep."

"Oh my god," Wade gasped. "He killed her?" 

"I can't believe it," Peter shook his head. "If he thought his wife was having an affair, why not confront the guy? I don't understand." 

"No one knows why he didn't confront Dr. Barnes. Perhaps because of the partnership that these two had? Who knows," Vis shrugged. "But Bartholomew went about his days as normally as possible. The nanny questioned his wife's whereabouts and simply told her that she was away visiting family. All the while, he was biding his time to properly dispose the body. That was, until it was too late. The nanny arrived on the morning of October 14th. With a spare key to the house, she opened the door and announced her presence. When no one replied, she walked around the house when she found Dr. Bartholomew Bavarian slumped in his chair with his throat slashed. No weapon was ever found. His death was ruled a suicide and the baby was sent away to an orphanage, thus concluding the Bavarian family history."

"Well, I was going to say something funny, but damn, that story was a real bummer," said Wade. 

"There's something that I don't understand about this story. You keep calling it Baby Bavarian. Did it have a name?" Peter asked. 

"I've tried finding any indication on the baby's name but nothing," said Vis, pulling out the picture from the box. "The initials on the back of this picture say 'B.B.' which could mean Baby Bavarian but otherwise, I don't know." 

"Which means, wherever the baby went probably completely changed their name," said Wade. "Shit, so what happened to the house?" 

"After what happened inside the house, no one wanted to go near it and stayed that way for nearly 40 years. Until August 1967, a young family, the Kirby's, moved in." Vis underlined the year with his marker. "They were a polite family. Very quiet and kept to themselves. But then strange things started to happen in the house. There were reports of noises coming from inside the house that they could find where the source came from. They hired a priest to try to exorcise the house but to no avail, they tried every trick in the book to rid of whatever evil was in the house. Then, on September 14th, 1967, Morgan Kirby's sister came to the house for a visit. The door was unlocked, so she let herself in, what she found was an unspeakable horror. Her sister's body was found mangled and cut up in the kitchen while her brother-in-law was found in the bathroom sawed in half. As for the children? I don't think you want to know." 

"Please don't," said Peter. 

"The house went vacant once more. It wouldn't be until October of 1985 that a young couple, The Smith's, would occupy the former Bavarian household. Two weeks later, a friend would drop by the house and find the couple dead in the hallway. After that, the house would once again be vacant for 30 years." 

"And then you and the Maximoff twins would find yourselves in the house," said Peter. "Two years later, Clint Barton and Natasha Romano would move in. Now, it's occupied once more."

"Hold up!" Wade held his hand up. "I'm sensing a pattern here. Vis, when did you say you and the twins went to the house?" 

"September 13th," Vis replied. 

"Uh huh, which means Clint and Natasha had to have been in the house in October," said Wade. 

"Wade, what are you trying to get at?" Peter asked. 

"What I'm saying is, each death that's occurred in the house has been in either September or October. Each death has happened on the 13th of each of those days. That's not a coincidence. No sir." 

"So you mean to say..?" Vis leaned in. 

"I'm saying that Bartholomew has killed every victim that has crossed his path in September and Elizabeth has killed her victims in October," Wade concluded. "And, on that note, Bartholomew didn't kill himself. His wife did." 

Peter and Vis stared at Wade with disbelief. It was the craziest theory that they had heard, there was no doubt about it. But they remembered who they were and figured perhaps this was wild enough to be proven true. 

"You might be onto something," said Vis. "Yeah, but how are we to prove that Bartholomew was murdered by the ghost of his wife?" 

"Maybe I can do something," Peter suggested. 

"Like what?" 

"Well, since we're throwing out crazy ideas, and I haven't had vivid dreams about the house since our meeting, perhaps if I slept with the box perhaps that might be able to jog something that will allow me to go to that time in my dreams." 

"Have you tried to do that before?" 

"Nope, but it's worth a shot." 

Vis looked at Wade, as if to ask for approval. "What do you think?" 

Wade laughed. "Vis, my boyfriend can talk to ghosts and has dreams about the house being on fire. At this rate, nothing is too out of this world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh geez this was basically the equivalent of word vomit I'm sorry


	10. The Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is so short and so meh

"Is it weird that you have us sleeping over in your house?" Peter asked. 

Vis shrugged. "Not really. I know the drive is a little over an hour and I insist that you stay the night as my guests." 

Vis had invited Peter and Wade over for dinner at his house. He cooked a very delicious beef stew, to which Wade was very complimentary of. When dinner wrapped, Peter and Wade realized that it was late and they had to be getting home. It was then that Vis offered to have them stay the night. They were already coming back to his office anyway in the morning and it didn't make any sense for them to have to do all of the back and forth driving. Peter and Wade felt they were imposing too much but Vis insisted. He had a spare room, a change of clothes, and everything prepared for them. 

"It's very kind of you to offer up your hospitality," said Peter, as he took the spare pillow Vis offered. "I really can't thank you enough for all you've done. I know it's not unearthing such a dark time for you but I really am grateful for what you're doing." 

Vis smiled politely, handing him the wooden box. "You're welcome. You really sure this is going to work?" 

"I mean, it's a long shot, but I think it'll work. I haven't been back in the house in two days and my dreams haven't been as vivid as when I'm in the house. I wonder if having any interaction with what's in the house prompts my dreams to become more vivid. The first time I was in there, I saw how Natasha and Clint died. The second time, you know what happened. But now it's back to seeing the house on fire." 

"Why do you keep dreaming about the house being on fire?" 

"Your guess is as good as mine." Peter smirked. "It's funny. You mentioned that there was something different about me when we first met. Wanda told me the same thing when I met her. I wonder what she met by that."

"Wanda was always drawn to those with an unusual aura," Vis remembered fondly. "Of course, with your gift, there's no question she made her presence known to you. But perhaps there's something greater in you than just your ability to talk to ghosts." 

"Like what?" 

Before Vis could answer, Wade came into the spare bedroom, wearing one of Vis' old UConn shirts and a pair of boxers. "So do we need to do anything before we go to bed? Don't get me wrong, the Paranormal Activity movies are my jam but you'd be wasting your time videotaping me sleeping while Peter lies awake for 6 hours straight."

"I don't see why we would have to," Vis replied. "It sounds like Peter has it down to a science. He'll sleep with the box and hopefully we'll dissect the dream in the morning. Or, whenever you wake up." 

"I'm going to have to apologize in advance for my sleeping habits," Peter prefaced. "They've been quite sporadic recently so if you see me sleeping on the couch, that's probably why." 

"Whatever you need to do to sleep comfortably," Vis smiled. "I'll be across the hall if you guys need anything. Good night!" 

"Good night!" Wade and Peter called out.

Once more, Peter had trouble with trying fall asleep. He tried holding the box close to his stomach but it wasn't comfortable for him to sleep that way. He tossed and turned for a couple of hours, finally giving up and finding somewhere else to sleep. With a pillow tucked underneath his arm and holding the box in his hand, Peter tiptoed down the hall and found a cpuch to sleep on. Once he got himself comfortable, he put the box underneath his pillow and fell asleep. 

Peter opened his eyes to find himself walking the halls of the Bavarian House. He peeked into each room he passed. He stopped when he saw a crib in one of the bedrooms. Quietly, he walked right in. He looked around to find the baby's bedroom was painted yellow, the room filled with all kinds of toys. Peter looked down in the crib to find the beautiful baby boy sleeping peacefully. Seeing the baby broke Peter's heart, knowing what would happen to his parents. He hoped that baby lived a happy life, even if his parents didn't. Blowing a kiss, Peter left the room as quietly as he came in.

Before making his way down the stairs, Peter stopped in one last room. The master bedroom was decorated in dark colors. There was hardly any furniture in the room, he also noticed. He checked the closet to see if there was anything worth finding. He rummaged through everything until he found the very same box he was currently sleeping with. But underneath the box, he found another small box. Inside was a stack of letters, all addressed to Elizabeth Bavarian, and all opened. He opened the first letter and was surprised to see what was written. It was a love letter, written with such emotion and passion. The language in it made Peter blush. He read on and once he reached the end, he nearly gasped. 

"In a month's time, we shall be reunited once more! I will provide everything for you and the baby and together, we can be a proper family. Ardently Yours, Dr. Robert Barnes." 

Peter opened up all the other letters and saw they were all love letters to Elizabeth from Dr. Robert Barnes, each one more passionate than the one before. He checked the dates on the letters. They had been in correspondence for over a year. He checked the date on the last letter that was sent. September 12th, 1927. The day before Elizabeth was murdered. 

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the hall. He quickly reorganized all the letters he found and put them back in the box. He snuck out of the closet and peered out from the doorway. He didn't see anything at first, but then he felt a cold shill brush against his arm. The chill quickly came and went. He quietly stepped out of the bedroom and tiptoed down the stairs.

Walking down the hall, he noticed the pictures of the families that were hung. Each generation of Bavarian family portrait was hung with care, with the families dressed in the finest clothes. He then walked into the kitchen, marveled by the appliances and how different they were compared to all the updated appliances that Stephen and Tony had in the house now. He walked through the kitchen when he found himself in the study, face to face with Dr. Bartholomew Bavarian.

Dr. Bartholomew Bavarian was a very handsome man. He had short, dark brown hair with hazel eyes that glowed as he watched the fireplace from his red leather chair. He seemed to be deep in thought as he smoked his cigar, Peter noticed. There was something in his eyes, Peter noticed. Like a sort of blankness one couldn't describe. He wanted to know what Bartholomew was thinking. What kind of a man did he become? 

Peter felt the cold chill once more against his skin and almost yelped. He turned to see if Bartholomew noticed him, but nothing. Peter could've sworn he saw something out of the corner of his eye, a womanly figure. His eyes flickered back to Bartholomew before they looked back up. He didn't know how, but a woman with auburn hair and dark brown eyes stood behind Bartholomew's chair. Her face was covered in soot and her neck was covered in blood. It was seeing her neck that Peter realized who it was. 

"Darling husband," Elizabeth greeted. 

Bartholomew jumped out of his seat, nearly dropping his cigar. "My god! Elizabeth!" He was shocked, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "I-I-I killed you!" 

"It is true," said Elizabeth, walking from behind to reveal her bloody green dress that she had worn the night she had died. Peter noticed that her skin was almost translucent, the markings where her husband had chopped her up visible. They were deep, with bone and flesh sticking out. He saw something shiny that she tried to hide in her hand. "I'm dead and it's your fault!" 

"You know damn well why you're dead!" Bartholomew argued. "You never loved me. You only loved the idea of me and then something better came around. Tell me, was it worth it? I know it is true because Dr. Barnes told me so! The bastard admitted that you were going to run away with him and take our son!" 

"You don't care for Billy!" Elizabeth spat back. "You never cared for him! But I'm not going to let our son be raised by a monster. I'll see to it that Billy is raised by a better man. For Barnes loved me for who I was!" 

"If you think you can just take Billy away from me, there's not a chance!" Bartholomew cackled. "I killed Dr. Barnes after he admitted the affair. And even if you wanted to to try to take our son away from me, how can you? You're just a ghost!" 

"Am I?" With the flick of the wrist, Elizabeth slashed Bartholomew's throat. Blood began to spill all over the floor as he held onto his throat. He fell to the floor and onto a pool of his own blood. Elizabeth walked over her husband's body, surveying what she had done before she looked up to see that she wasn't the only one in the room. 

"You!" Elizabeth hissed, holding the bloody knife up in Peter's direction. "I'll see that you speak a word of this! Don't think I won't do the same to you as I did to my husband!" 

Peter started to run out of the room and down the hallway. He slammed the door shut and left the front porch of the house. He stopped to turn back to see if anyone was following him. He escaped, he thought, now if only he could just... 

A pair of cold arms wrapped around Peter's neck. Elizabeth jumped up on him and struggled to slash his throat, the knife poking at a neck vein. 

"You're mine!" Elizabeth growled. 

"I SAID NO!" Peter shouted. 

A force sent Elizabeth barreling back onto the front porch of the house, slamming her body onto the door behind her. Peter looked down at his hands and then back at Elizabeth, who looked at him with scared eyes. 

"What are you?" Elizabeth asked, frightened. 

"I don't know," Peter replied.


	11. Spilling Guts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I took a break from this and came back. I started writing this and tried to do what I could to make sense of this. I'm really sorry this chapter is on the shorter side!

Peter was on his second cup of coffee by the time he was finished with breakfast. He had just finished going over the notes he had written regarding the dream he had last night. One thing was certain, the ghosts that were in the house were not going to be easy to deal with. 

"I can't get the image out of my head," said Peter, sipping on his coffee. "She was so angry, and almost proud of the fact that she killed him. But there were great consequences because of what they did to each other! The misery they had for one another led them to kill anyone that lived in that house! Billy became an orphan!"

"I still can't believe that she tried to kill you," said Wade, shaking his head in disbelief. 

"And now we know that B.B. means Billy Bavarian," said Vis. "Unfortunately, we also know that Bartholomew killed Dr. Robert Barnes after he find out his wife was having an affair with his partner." 

"So where do we go from there?" Peter asked. "Unless we know of the exact whereabouts of Billy Bavarian, we're going to have a hard time trying to narrow down the exact orphanage that he would've ended up at."

"That's where you're wrong," said Vis, showing Wade and Peter what was on his phone. It was a picture of an old building. Peter had to wonder what it was about creepy old buildings that he was being pulled towards. "It turns out there's an orphanage in New London. Also happens to be one of the very few that still remain today in this day and age. Crazy, isn't it? Since the records have to be at least 100 years old, we're going to have to go out there and make a formal request in person." 

"Hopefully we can lay one mystery to rest," Peter nodded, agreeing to the plan. "And after that, we can figure out what to do with the ghosts." 

The three of them made it to the New London Orphanage later in the morning. They had high hopes on finding out more on the Bavarian family. They were certain that this was going to be it. But their visit proved to be fruitless. Based on every record that the three of them were able to gain access to, there was no paperwork to be found on Billy Bavarian. Much like his family, this was a mystery that proved to be dead. 

"Nothing." Peter shook his head. "Two hours digging through everything we could legally get our hands on, just to come up empty! Un-fucking-believable!"

As Peter cursed out the lack of answers, Wade and Vis were leaned against Peter's car, both of them smoking a cigarette. They were frustrated as Peter was with the results, but neither of them felt as if this was the end. Vis tried to think of other places that they could look in order to find Billy Bavarian's whereabouts but was coming up empty. Meanwhile, Wade had an idea. It was an absurd one, to say the least, but the most absurd ideas seemed to be the ones that worked as far as this whole haunted house case was working for them. But he also hoped that Peter was willing to actually to give this a shot.

"What did you say the name of Bartholomew's partner was?" Wade asked. "Dr. Robert Something?" 

"Barnes," Vis answered. "Dr. Robert Barnes. Why?" 

Wade turned to Peter. "Pete, don't you know a guy by the name of Barnes?" 

"Uh, yeah," Peter replied with uncertainty. "Well, his name is Bucky, but why?" 

Wade looked at both Vis and Peter and flicked the cigarette out of his hand. "Pete, can you get a hold of him?" 

Peter shook his head. "I don't think that's such a good idea." 

"Well, why not?" 

"Because then I'd have to talk to Steve." 

"So then talk to Steve."

Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing from him. "Wade, what part of 'I don't think this is such a good idea' don't you understand?" 

"Peter, I'm just trying to throw some ideas out!" Wade tried to reason. "But clearly you're against this idea and I need to understand why." 

"I can't tell you." 

"Does this have something to do with Tony?" 

Peter was quiet for a minute. Wade could tell from the silence that whatever this was couldn't have been good. 

"Pete," Wade reached for his hand. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I won't judge you, no matter how terrible it is. Do you trust me?"

Peter looked at Wade and then back at Vis. He turned his head once more to Wade, knowing that now was the time. Enough time had passed since the incident and it was best that he share it. 

"I can't talk to Steve because he hates me," Peter admitted. "You see, Tony, Steve, and I used to be really tight back in college. They were like my older brothers. Steve was more of the straight laced guy while Tony was...well, you know. But somehow, they balanced each other out in their relationship. And we had a big group that all hung out with each other from time to time. Things were good, things were really good until..." Wade offered Peter a cigarette, which he accepted, and took one long drag before continuing his story. "It's the morning after my graduation party and I see I have a missed call from Tony. Leaves me a voicemail, doesn't sound good. So I call him back. He's a wreck. He starts blubbering on about how he made a mistake and he's fucked things up. I ask him, well, what did you do?" Peter takes another drag. "Tony and Steve had been having issues at this time. Had been going on for a couple of months. It was really starting to annoy the rest of us and I felt like I had to be the one to get in between them to stop the fighting. Things were so awkward. Steve wasn't there for my party. Something about a prior engagement, I don't know. Tony didn't seem like himself that night, so he left early. Well, after he left the party, he went to a bar. He met a guy there and kissed him. It was only a kiss, Tony told me, but he felt so guilty about the whole thing and asked me what I would do in his position. I told him I'd be honest and tell Steve exactly what happened. Hanging up, it didn't occur to me that this would have such a trajectory on our friend group. I thought I was doing the right thing. After Tony confessed, Steve was furious. Broke up with him right then and there. No one knew the real reason as to why they broke up except me. But then Tony got completely wasted one night and just started to spill his guts of...everything. Turns out he and Steve weren't on the same page about marriage and that was the real reason why things were going south. But they stuck around for the sake of keeping up appearances. Tony tried to pin everything on Steve at that point and it was an absolute shitshow. I had to drag him back to his place he was such a mess. But the damage was done. Soon everyone was fighting with one another. We had to pick a side. Were you on Steve's or Tony's? Well, I'm sure you could guess who's side I ended up on."

"Holy shit," Wade whispered to himself, shaking his head. "So that's why Natasha was the way she was towards you." 

"All this because your friend kissed someone else?" Vis couldn't believe the story. 

"No one talked to anyone and I was starting to think that I was in the wrong for even suggesting that Tony come clean in the first place," Peter looked away, breathing the smoke out. "It was hard for me to stay friends with anyone at that point. So I decided that I needed a fresh start, came to Connecticut to make a new life away from all that drama. Tony was pissed that I was leaving him behind when everyone else had given up on him. I told him I needed to take a break from our friendship. I needed to reevaluate things with us. I wonder if things would've been different had I not told Tony to tell Steve the truth. I wonder if Natasha and Clint would still be alive if I had just said nothing to Tony. Maybe things would've ended up differently." 

"Hey," Wade patted Peter on his shoulder. "You can't carry that burden on yourself. Tony made a mistake and the fact that it broke up a friend group is a real shame. But it's not your fault. I hope you know that." 

"And do you know for a fact that Steve hates you even?" Vis asked. "You didn't kiss another guy, that was on Tony." 

"Well, I don't, actually," Peter admitted. "After Tony and Steve broke up, I did everything I could to avoid Steve out of fear. I mean, I still have his number on my phone, but...I don't know, Wade. Do you really think that Bucky could be a direct descendant of Dr. Robert Barnes?"

"At this rate, anything is worth a shot." Wade shrugged. "But...does this mean that you've reconsidered the idea?" 

Peter sighed. "Perhaps. But I'm scared. What if Steve hangs up on me?" 

"One of us could call him for you," Vis suggested. "If you're not completely comfortable with it. Though I feel like that might be awkward, but we could call on your behalf?" 

"No, I gotta do this. I mean..." Peter flicked the cigarette out of his hand and looked down at his phone. He scrolled through the list of numbers until he found the one he wanted. "I gotta do this." 

"Babe," Wade smiled reassuringly. "You've got this." 

Peter took another deep breath and hit the call button on his phone. He was mentally preparing himself for every worst scenario possible that his head began to race a 1,000 miles a minute. With every possible outcome that he could think of, he almost didn't register the other line picking up. 

"Hello?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanted to say thanks for sticking around for this story as always, it means a lot to me!


	12. "It was nice to hear from you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will get back to ghosts I promise!! I can't say this will be the last chapter without some drama though. Anyway, new chapter is here! Hope you all enjoy it!

It had been years since Peter had last seen or spoken to Steve. After the mess that was the fallout of Tony and Steve's relationship, Peter felt it was best to just keep his head down and avoid Steve, mainly out of fear. It was a surprise to find that Steve still had the same number, not to mention, that he even picked up. Hearing his voice from the other line after all this time was a bit jarring to say the least.

"Hello?" Steve repeated himself. 

"Steve?" Peter asked, his voice trembling. 

"This is he," he replied, the timbre in his voice so confident. 

"Hi Steve, this is Peter. Parker. Peter Parker." 

"Why hello Peter." There was no detection of any anger in his voice, from what Peter could tell. There was definitely surprise, no question about it. "Wow, how are you?" 

"Good, good. Um...moved out of New York. I live in Connecticut now." 

"So I've heard. I bumped into May a couple of years ago and she told me you were doing some freelance photography there. Met a nice fellow as well." 

"Yup, still doing freelancing. Still with the very nice fellow," Peter smiled at Wade. "And what about you? How are things with you?" 

"I'm good. I'm actually teaching Art History at NYU now. It's probably the best job I could ask for. Got engaged a few months ago. Things are going really well." 

"You're engaged," Peter repeated. It was what Steve deserved. After the hurt that he had gone through being with Steve, Peter took great comfort in knowing that Steve was able to move on. Sure, Tony had as well, but there was a small part of him that had worried about Steve. It was nice to know that Steve was doing well. "Congratulations, I'm happy for you." 

"Thank you, that's very nice of you. I know that things after...the incident..things weren't exactly great for everyone. Everyone had their sides." 

"Others simply walked away before it got ugly." 

"Right," Steve sighed. "But I'm sure you didn't call to rehash old wounds, I hope." 

"Oh, no. Not at all! I'm calling because I have a request to ask of you. See, I'm doing some research on this house in New London with my boyfriend and our colleague. Are you familiar with the Bavarian House?" 

"Bavarian?" Steve hummed. "That name sounds familiar." 

"You see, the house used to be owned by a man called Dr. Bartholomew Bavarian. I'm gathering a bit of research on his life and noticed that he had a colleague by the name of Dr. Robert Barnes. I'm not sure if there was any relation but I know you and Bucky were very close and all..." 

"I know that name!" Steve pipped up. "Yeah! I know who you're talking about. Robert was Bucky's great great uncle!" 

"He was?!" Peter squeaked. He turned to Vis and Wade with wide eyes. "Holy shit, they're related?" 

"Yeah! I mean, I don't know anything about him, but Bucky can help you. He's been working late on a case so we'd have to give you a call back later in the day if that's alright?" 

"Sure, sure!" Peter nodded excitedly. "Anything that he can tell about Robert would be really great." 

"Yeah, definitely." Steve paused for a moment. "I really have to be going now. I've got someone coming in for office hours. It was really nice to hear from you." 

"Yeah, it was nice to hear from you too."

The trio had spent the better part of their day at Peter and Wade's place. They were mostly going over Peter and Vis' things, checking to see if there were any notes that were missed regarding the ghosts and the house. After triple checking everything, they waited for the call. It was evening by the time Steve had called Peter back. He was sitting at the kitchen table with Wade and Vis. The three of them had just finished eating a nice hearty stew that Wade prepared for everyone. Wade and Vis leaned in as Peter answered the phone. 

"This is Peter," he answered. 

"Hey, it's Steve," Steve greeted. "How's it going?" 

"Good, good. Hey, I've got my colleague and my boyfriend here with me. Do you mind if I put you on speaker?" 

"No problem." 

Peter put the phone down on the table and hit the speaker button. "Can you hear us now?" 

"I can hear you," Steve's voice echoed. "Hello, Peter's friends!" 

"Hi, I'm Wade!" Wade introduced himself. "I love long walks on the beach, the smell of onions when I walk into a restaurant, but most importantly, I love Peter." 

"Aww, that's sweet," Steve cooed. 

"Hello, this is Vis," Vis politely introduced himself. "How are you this evening?" 

"Doing well. Hope everyone is doing well also. Bucky just walked in so hold on." The three of them could hear Steve move up from his seat and call Bucky over. There was some inaudible talking between the two from what was picked up on the other line. "Okay, I'm back. Bucky is here."

"Hey," Bucky said quietly. Bucky Barnes was very quiet from what Peter remembered. He also knew that the two of them were very close. So close that Peter always wondered if perhaps there was a certain unspoken bond between Bucky and Steve, a relationship much deeper than what Steve and Tony had. Tony couldn't help but feel jealous of the friendship. Peter heard a rumor that Bucky came after Tony after he had cheated on Steve, but no one could prove it to be true. Even if it was true, could Bucky be blamed for wanting to kick the crap out of Tony? Steve was his best friend, his everything.

"Hey Bucky," Peter greeted. "How are you?" 

"I'm alright. Though I gotta say, it's a bit weird to hear from you. After everything that went down with your friend..." Bucky's voice trailed off. The three of them could hear Bucky move into another room, closing the door behind him. "So Peter, Steve tells me that you're doing research on the Bavarian House. What kind of research are you guys doing exactly?"

"Well, you see here..." 

"We're ghost hunters," Wade interrupted. "Yup. We needed you because Peter has some friends who just bought the house and now are getting haunted by some ghosts and we want to get rid of them once and for all." 

"It's also come to our attention that you are a direct descendent of Dr. Robert Barnes," Vis added. "Is that correct?" 

"That is correct," Bucky replied. "So some friends bought this place, huh? Do I know them?" 

"Uh...yeah, you do," Peter replied reluctantly. "And if I tell you who it is, I'm afraid you'll hang up on me." 

"Does Steve know?" 

"Nope." 

Peter could hear Bucky adjust in his seat. "So who is it?" 

Peter paused and took a deep breath. "It's Tony." 

"Huh." That was all Bucky could say at first. There was a long, uncomfortable silence that seemed to last forever. But then Bucky spoke up. "Well, at least he's able to start a new life. Or at least try to." 

"You can only imagine my fear of even calling Steve in the first place after all of that went down," Peter admitted. 

"What did you think he'd do to you? It's been years since all that happened. Steve and I are engaged. Everybody's moved on. I don't wish him ill anymore. Life's too short to hold grudges and I've got nothing against you."

"Well then," Peter nodded to himself, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Thank you. I only wish I could tell Steve how sorry I am for causing him all that pain though. I never really could forgive myself for what happened..." 

"Hey, don't blame yourself for what happened. I understand why you did what you did. In hindsight, you thought you were doing the right thing advising Tony what to do. But that was his mistake, not yours. Besides, if Steve hated you, do you think we'd be talking right now?" 

"No." 

"Alright then, now let's let bygones be bygones and get to the bottom of this, shall we?" Bucky cracked up a bottle, presumably a beer, and he took a gulp. "So what exactly do you want to know about my great great uncle?"

"Perhaps I should start by telling you what the three of us have discovered. Hopefully you're comfortable wherever you are because this is going to be a lot." Peter spent the next ten minutes explaining his supernatural gift, his experience being in the Bavarian House, and described in full detail about the dreams and investigating that he had been doing regarding the house. Bucky listened with great intent, as did Vis and Wade. 

"So yeah," Peter sighed. "After we found out that there were no records on Billy's adoption, we figured, well, maybe there's a chance Bucky knows something. Anyway, I'm sorry for the massive information overload. I figured that in order to really understand why this call, well, you might as well get the ugly truth." 

"Holy shit," said Bucky, chuckling. "So you can talk to the dead?" 

"Yeah, and between you and me, you're like one of less than ten living people that know that." 

"Heh." Bucky was quiet for a moment before he spoke up. "Well, you covered quite a bit on Robert yourself that I already know from stories my grandpa told me. The affair with the affluent wife, the murder by his work partner. Aside from being close friends with the family and their nanny, there's not much else that I could tell you on him that' would be of much interest to you or your case..." 

"Wait a minute," Peter's ears perked up. "The nanny? Robert knew the nanny?" 

"Yeah. The nanny was friends with my great great aunt. Needed a job after she was finished with her studies and Robert was able to refer her to the Bavarian's. Worked for them until their demise. Kitty Bowler was her name." 

"You said her name was Kitty Bowler?" Peter looked to Wade and Vis to see if they were paying attention. 

"Everyone called her Kitty but her name was Margaret. I wish I knew exactly what happened to her. Probably got married to her betrothed." 

"So you don't know who she married?" 

"Like I said, I wish I knew exactly what happened to her..." Bucky hummed. "But maybe I know someone who can help you with that and figure out what happened to that baby. Listen, I'd have to make a couple of calls to some family members but what do you say I give you a call tomorrow and let you know what I find out. Sound good?" 

"You would do that for me?" Peter was surprised. "But why?" 

"You're a good guy and you mean well. Like I said, life's too short to hold grudges. Anyway, I'll give you a call tomorrow and let you know what I find. You and your friends take care. I'll keep you posted."


	13. Familiar Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this family drama make sense? I'm hoping. And I know I've said ghosts are coming but I had to tie in all this beforehand! I'm sorry!!!!!

It was back to their regularly scheduled business the next day for the trio. With Vis back at UConn and Wade at Eagle Cherry, Peter found himself checking his phone more often than usual as he drummed his fingertips on his desk. The anticipation was killing him on this seemingly normal Friday afternoon as he sat in his office. He hoped he'd get some answers. At this rate even if there was a bizarre revelation regarding Kitty Bowler, Peter was willing to embrace it. After all, the most unusual things were definitely what kept his days in check, whether he liked it or not. The day seemed to drag further on and just as he was about to leave the office, Peter got a call. It was just what he was waiting for. Bucky was able to get a hold of his grandpa, who was able to get in touch with a neighbor. What Bucky was able to find out about Kitty Bowler was definitely not what Peter expected. 

Kitty had come to the house the morning of October 14th as scheduled to take care of the baby. When no one responded to her calls, she walked around the house and was shocked to find Dr. Bartholomew's lifeless body slumped over in his chair, his throat slashed. She screamed, calling for help and ran up the stairs to check on the baby. Billy was found blissfully sleeping in his crib. After the body was taken out of the house, there were questions of what was to be done about the baby. Elizabeth had no other family and Bartholomew was the last Bavarian. But Kitty had something that would prevent Billy from being put up for adoption. There was a document drawn up by Elizabeth that stated should anything happen to her in her untimely demise, Billy would be in Kitty's custody. It turned out the orphanage story was all a big coverup to protect the child's identity. So she raised the baby as her own son, but she wasn't a single mother. She was engaged to a very handsome businessman during this time and would end up marrying him a couple of months after Bartholomew's passing. Thus, Kitty Bowler would then become... 

"Kitty Stark," Bucky told Peter. "Her husband, Matthew Stark, was a Boston businessman that worked in the steel industry. After the two of them got married, they then moved to Boston, taking Billy with them. However, they baby would not grow up to live a long and healthy life, for he died barely a year into his life from tuberculosis, thus effectively ending the Bavarian line once and for all." 

"Oh my god," Peter gasped, sinking into his chair. "I don't believe it. And to think, I thought that Billy went to an orphanage, never to be heard from again. I mean, its good that he went to a family that loved him. Though I only wished he went on to live a happy life."

"Sorry this story didn't have a happier ending. My grandpa did tell me that it was rumored that Bartholomew hated Stark's guts because his success just intimidated him that much. I gotta say that's kind of dumb but what do I know?" 

"Well fuck. I gotta let Tony know about all this!" 

"Wait, you mean he doesn't know what's going on? Peter are you an idiot? Why haven't you told him anything?" 

"Well he really wants this house and also the ghosts refuse to appear to him and Stephen, so do you see where that puts me?" 

"I guess Tony hasn't changed that much," Bucky muttered. "But regardless. He has to know now!" 

"I will tell him! I will! I guess I was just hoping that perhaps Billy had a happy ending but now that wee know what happened, Tony is for sure fucked." 

"And you're saying that he wasn't already?" 

"Hey, I've never had to deal with ghosts on such a level! Can you just let me freak out?" There was no use in calming down. He was feeling fired up enough. "I'm already in way over my head! It's not like I asked to be given this stupid gift!" 

"Hey man, it's okay," Bucky tried to be comforting. "You've got your boyfriend and your ghost expert friend in your corner. It's not like you're completely alone in this."

"I know," Peter sighed. "It's just...it's tough. The only people who could really understand this are my parents and my Uncle Ben. I wonder if they've had to deal with this on such a level." 

"And you're just doing what you can. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so short with you." 

"Thank you. So I guess this means I better round up my team and try to save the living." 

"What about the spirits? What will you do with them?" 

"I have no idea. I'm hoping Wade will have some crazy plan up his sleeve. We've made it this far, haven't we?" 

"You guys have. Take care of yourself, man. Oh, one more thing." 

"Yeah?" 

Bucky was quiet for a moment. He then spoke up. "If you see Nat and Clint, tell them Steve says hello. Good luck kid."

Peter quietly thanked Bucky as he hung up the phone. He tried to process everything that he knew. It was good to know that Billy did get out of that house alive, even though his life was cut far too short. But more importantly, the ghosts now had an even better reason to not spare Tony. He needed to get him and Stephen out fast. Just as he was about to call him, Tony had beat him to the punch. 

"Hello?" 

"Peter I need you to get out here as soon as possible!" Tony frantically cried out. 

"What's going on?" Peter jumped out of his seat. "What's wrong?" 

"Peter something is seriously wrong with my house," Tony's voice trembled. "At first, I thought the noises were all just a part of the house settling but this morning I woke up and there was...this smell. It was like rusty water. I used everything to try to mask the smell but, god, it's so putrid." Tony tried to mask his cough. "And the noises are even louder than they were the days before! I dudnt want to call because I figured it was nithing and Stephen hasnt been here all week but now... Listen, wherever you are, I need you to get here now! I'm scared!" 

"Alright, I'll be there. I'm gonna need some backup but I..." Peter looked at the clock, wondering how fast he could round up Vis and Wade. "But I can be there. I'll be there as soon as possible." 

"Please hurry!" Tony pleaded before hanging up. 

Peter looked back at the clock and then turned to the window in his office. The sun was still out but Peter hoped to get there before it went dark. He dialed a number and waited for the other line to pick up. It rang three times before getting a response. 

"Hey, how soon can you get to New London?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I'm running on a mix of stress, lack of sleep, and too much chocolate but thanks for sticking with this mess of a story


	14. Spirits Emerge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's super short, i'm sorry. i have no idea how many chapters this is going to be so stay tuned for the long run i guess?

Peter was completely fucked. Aside from getting Vis to join him and Wade, Peter had no idea what he was going to do about whatever the hell was going on in that house. Wade was trying to dish out every single plot line from every ghost film he'd seen to try to put Peter's mind at ease as he sped on over to Tony and Stephen's. He had to have been going at least 10 over the speed limit, but that was the least of his worries. People's lives were in danger and who knew what the ghosts had in mind. Thank god Vis was going to be there. It was definitely a trek for him to make it all the way out there. Not to mention, it was probably quite triggering for him to return to the place where he lost his love. Wade was ready to go the moment Peter had showed up at the Eagle Cherry. He was still wearing his chef's clothes as they were driving, blood spattered all over his apron. Wade admitted it fit the "aesthetic" of their adventure and kept his chef's attire on for that purpose. Peter looked down at what he had on.

It was dusk by the time Peter and Wade arrived at the Stark House. There was an ominous beauty about the way the red and orange sun looked as it set behind the house. Almost as if it was showing that the evil was soon rising from it's slumber, ready to spread it's terror into the night. Peter took a minute to admire it's frightening beauty before turning around to see that Vis was pulling up and parking his car right behind Peter's. Vis stepped out of his car, tugging on his oversized maroon cardigan as he felt a slight breeze brush past him. He walked over to Peter and Wade., an uneasy smile on his face. 

"Hey," Peter stepped in to offer a hug. "Glad you could make it." 

Vis accepted the quick embrace. "Not a problem. Feels a bit weird being back here after all this time. But we've made a lot of progress with our research. It's time to put it to the test." Vis looked Wade's wardrobe up and down with curiosity. "What happened to you?"

Wade looked down at his apron and chuckled. "Oh! We got a calf and I was cutting it up for our special tonight. Fits the aesthetic, doesn't it? I mean, you look at Peter here, dressed like Ash Williams from The Evil Dead, we certainly make quite the horror couple, right?" 

"Huh?" Peter looked down at the denim long sleeve shirt and dark jeans he was wearing. He didn't plan that, but it was definitely like Wade to make a note of such observations. "Ah, I see." 

"We need to get in there and find out what we're dealing with," Vis announced. "I'm about as ready as I'll ever be." 

"I'm ready," Peter nodded. "Wade?" 

"Do you think this is too much blood?" Wade asked, looking down at his apron. "God forbid Tony has a heart attack..."

Vis and Peter rolled their eyes as they all made their way up the front porch. Peter knocked on the door. He could hear footsteps frantically make their way to the door. When Tony answered the door, he looked like a mess. His dark hair was quite disheveled, his Pink Floyd t-shirt and jeans had coffee stains on them, and based on how his eyes were looking, it appeared he hadn't been sleeping well. 

"Oh thank god you're here!" Tony threw his arms around Peter. Peter pat Tony's back reassuringly. When he pulled back, Tony eyed Vis and Wade suspiciously. "Uh, have we met before?" 

"Oh we've definitely met," Wade replied sarcastically. 

"I know we've met before," Tony replied, unamused. 

"Alexander Vision, paranormal researcher at the University of Connecticut," Vis extended his hand. "But everyone calls me Vis." 

"Charmed," Tony nodded. He cocked his eyebrow at Peter. "A paranormal researcher? Really?" 

"Hey, he knows his shit. Besides, you'll be surprised with what we've found out about this house," said Peter, letting himself in. "You said that you had been hearing noises and the place had a distinct smell?"

"It did but not now. It was like after I called you, everything just seemed to stop and the house was normal." Tony followed Peter into the house, followed by Wade and Vis. The four of them all gathered into the kitchen, Tony putting a kettle on the stove. He then joined the trio sitting at the kitchen table. "What sort of research could you possibly do on this place?" 

"You're definitely gonna want to hear about this because you and Stephen need to get the hell out of dodge before you're both dead," said Wade. 

"Well, I can't do anything now. Stephen should be home in the next half hour or so." Tony shook his head. "Peter, what the hell is going on? What the hell aren't you telling me?" 

"You bought a house that people died in," said Vis. "Do you know that?" 

"Yeah, a couple died in here a couple of years ago," Tony nodded. "That's why the place was so cheap. I already knew that." 

"But did you know that it was Clint and Natasha that died in here?" Peter asked.

Tony stood up straight in his seat. Peter could see the hairs standing up on Tony's arms and the color on his face begin to fade. "Clint and Natasha died here?" Tony could barely get the words out of his mouth. 

"I understand that this is a bit of a shock for you," Vis offered his hand for comfort."Trust me. I lost someone in here that I loved deeply. Her and her twin brother, actually. I still think about them and haven't really gotten over their deaths. But those aren't the only people who've lost their lives in this house." 

"There have been others?" 

"There are some ghosts that are here with a vengeance," said Wade. "I'm gonna make this brief because history is sooooo boring. This house was owned by a wealthy family and passed down to three generations. Then in the 1920's, this doctor kills his wife over an affair that she was having with his work partner. A month later, her ghosts slashes his throat and his death is ruled a suicide. So with the husband and wife both dead, they killed a family like decades later in brutal fashion and then killed this lovely couple twenty years after that. Then you have what happened to Vis' friends and your friends and that should bring you up to speed! Oh and did I mention that you're somewhat of a distant relative of this family that built the house? Yeah, I guess your great great uncle or whatever was a baby when his parents died so he got adopted by the nanny and her fiance who just happened to be a Stark! Crazy, isn't it?" 

"What the..." Tony shook his head, angrily staring at Peter. "Peter, what the fuck is all of this shit? I asked you to come here to help me with this house, not give me some fucking history lesson!" 

"Tony," Peter sighed, feeling annoyed, "the minute Stephen gets here, you two need to get the fuck out of here. These ghosts are not your friends and will kill you if you both stay in here a minute longer.Is that helpful enough for you?" 

"Clint and Natasha are going to kill me?" Tony scoffed. "How the hell can they do that, they're dead!" 

"Well, they sure as hell aren't too thrilled that you're here in the first place." 

"You've talked to them? Peter, why the fuck didn't you tell me this?" 

"Because they didn't want me to tell you! And for good reason too! Especially with all you did to Steve." 

"Jesus, how many times do I have to apologize? It was a mistake! A huge mistake and you of all people should fucking know this!" 

"What is going on here?" Stephen called out from the hallway. He entered the kitchen, looking around at the guests that were sitting at his table. "Peter? What are you doing here? Tony, is everything alright?" 

"Everything is not alright," Tony said coldly. "The spirits in the house apparently want to kill us. There's some dark history in this place and I have a connection with it." 

"WHAT?" Stephen yelped. "What do you mean they want to kill us?" 

"This guy gets it," Vis whispered to Wade. 

"You really don't believe me about the history, do you?" Peter asked Tony. "Okay then, riddle me this: did you find something in the master bedroom closet?" 

"Yes," Stephen answered. He turned away and went up the stairs. A couple of minutes later, he came back in the kitchen with a small box and set it on the table. He flipped the box open to reveal some neatly folded papers inside. "I was going to call you about them, but I figured that these were part of the house. They were so passionate when I read them, so I saved them. Didn't think that these were part of history." 

Peter opened up the folded pieces of paper. Despite the yellowing, the letters were still in good condition. He scanned each and every one of them, all of them coming back to him from his dream just mere days ago. 

"You said there's some dark history with this place?" Stephen asked. "What kind of dark history?" 

"This sort of dark history," Vis pushed his own box that he had taken from the house all these years ago. "It used to be owned by a very prominent family. The Bavarian Family. The house was passed down to three generations but then Dr. Bartholomew Bavarian killed his wife over an affair she was having with his partner, Dr. Robert Barnes." 

"Yes, in relation to one, Bucky Barnes," Peter added. 

"A month later, Dr. Bartholomew was found dead in his home by the nanny, Kitty Bowler," Vis continued. "Originally ruled a suicide, we now know that his wife murdered her husband." 

"A ghost murdered him?" Stephen asked. 

"It's so fucking crazy, I know," Tony groaned. 

"There was only one remaining Bavarian, Billy Bavarian," Vis went on. "He later was adopted by the nanny and ended up becoming Billy Stark, after Kitty married a man named Matthew Stark. But sadly, the child barely lived to be a year old as he died from tuberculosis. But as far as the house itself, there were four reported deaths that occured in these walls. All which were done by the those who originally died here." 

"And you know this for a fact?" Stephen asked. 

"We definitely know this was the case for Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, as well as Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff," said Peter. "I know this because I saw these murders go down in my dreams."

"But how?" Stephen asked. 

"It doesn't matter how," Wade cut in. "What matters is that you guys need to get out of this house now!" 

"This is all too much," Tony shook his head, getting up from the table and walking out of the kitchen. "This is all too fucking much! I am getting that fucking Ouija board and taking care of this myself since no one is any fucking help!" 

As Tony was cursing out, Peter suddenly felt a cold chill tap his shoulder. She was ready to appear, Peter thought. 

"Tony..." Peter spoke up. 

"WHAT?" Tony called out. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know how you like it and thanks for reading!


	15. Confronting the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is so much going on with this chapter and i have no idea when this story is going to end.  
> anyway, enjoy this update!!

Tony looked like he had just seen a ghost and he really did see one. Standing in front of him was a beautiful redhead that he once called his friend, arms crossed and a knowing look on his face. Peter came down the hall when he heard Tony scream and soon everyone else joined him, stunned beyond belief at what they were seeing. 

"Wonderful, I have an audience!" Natasha exclaimed, dripping with sarcasm. "Not exactly what I had in mind for this but then again, I didn't expect to die in here either." 

"Fucking hell," Tony gasped. "Peter was right. Oh shit..." 

Natasha looked over at Peter with a disgruntled look. "I told you not to come back." 

"Believe me, I didn't want to and yet here I am," said Peter. "Besides, I know exactly what we're dealing with and I'm gonna make sure no one else dies in this house tonight." 

"So you know the story?" A young woman's voice spoke up. Everyone's heads turned towards the stairs as they saw Wanda walking down the stairs with Pietro and Clint right behind her. Before she could make it all the way down the stairs, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Vis. She thought that once she had gone down in the basement, that she would never see him again. Now, after all these years, he was back. He still looked the same, even after all this time. The moment Vis saw Wanda, his heart skipped a beat and his breath was taken away. Even in the afterlife, Wanda was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He couldn't believe that he was seeing her again. 

"Vis?" Wanda stepped down the stairs and approached Vis. She reached out with both hands to cup his face. Her hands felt icy cold against his warm face. It had been ages since she felt anything so human since her death. The sensation of feeling a real person was almost too much for her to handle that she began to cry. "Vis, it's you!" 

"Wanda!" Vis wrapped his arms around Wanda's small frame tightly, enveloping her. He couldn't believe this was happening. She was here in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to just take her out of the house and bring her home with him. Oh, how he missed her so. He looked at her once more and smiled. He then saw her twin brother approach him, a small smile on his face. Vis smiled back. "Pietro. You have no idea how happy I am to see you." 

"Nice to see you made it out alive," said Pietro. "At least one of us survived that night."

"Pietro, I hope you know that I did everything that I could to try to get back in the house. It was just..." 

"I know you did. I could hear you from behind the door before everything went dark that night." His eyes averted towards Peter. "And I think you know what happened as well." 

"I do," Peter nodded. 

"I knew there was something about you," said Wanda, a twisted smile forming on her lips. "My intuition was right." 

"So all ghosts are accounted for?" Wade asked, double checking everyone. "Well this is definitely a party!" 

"If this were a party, we'd be bumping Cascada right now," Clint chimed in. "Also, Tony wouldn't be here." 

"Excuse me?" Tony looked aghast. 

"Yeah, who the hell are you?" Stephen asked. 

"I'm Clint and I'm dead. Who the fuck are you?" 

"I'm Stephen Strange, Tony's boyfriend." 

"Hmm." Clint smiled condescendingly at Tony. 

"Now that everyone is here," Peter exasperated, "perhaps we can all try to find a way to get Tony and Stephen out of this house without facing the wrath of Dr. and Mrs. Bavarian. Does that sound good?"

"Why should we help Tony?" Natasha asked. "He fucked things up by cheating on Steve and that's why no one talks to one another these days." 

"Oh my fucking god," Tony muttered under his breath. "Natasha, how many times do I have to apologize for the mistakes I've made?" 

"Does Stephen know what you did?" Clint asked, pointing Stephen out. 

"Yes he does, Barton," Tony spat back. "And I've also told him that I've grown up from my mistakes. But what would you know about growing up, am I right?"

"You owning up to anything?" Clint scoffed. "That's real rich coming from someone who has never been one to take any responsibility for their actions!" 

"Like you do? Alright you know what? You want to go right now?" 

"I wanna fucking go!" 

Tony and Clint were getting into each other's faces, rehashing old wounds as Natasha and Stephen tried to break up the fight. The others just looked at one another, unsure of the mess that was going down between these two ghosts and two mortals and quietly left the area, making their way into the living room. 

"Well, that wasn't part of the plan," said Peter, flinging himself on the couch and groaning into the pillow. "At this rate, we're all going to die by either one ghost or another if we don't come up with a plan." 

"I'm not helping them," Pietro declared. "Whatever beef they have with Tony is something those guys have to figure on their own." 

"But shouldn't I try to do something?" Peter lifted his head up, the arguing continuing from the other room. "I'm part of this whole mess too." 

"No you're not," Wade shook his head. "Remember what Vis and I told you? This is on Tony and he's going to have to figure this all out on his own, even if it takes him all night." 

Peter sighed, laying his head back down on the pillow. "Why did I come back here? Natasha was right. It was stupid of me." 

"Because you're a good person," said Vis. "Yes, Tony is flawed, but deep down, you see there is good in him and maybe that's why you've stuck around by him after all these years. Because you know that people are good and you just want to do what's right by them. And you want to help everyone else stuck in this house." 

Peter lifted his head up once more and looked at Pietro and Wanda. He knew he wanted to help the other spirits trapped inside. They shouldn't have to live in such a purgatory in fear of the other inhabitants inside and he was damned if they were all stuck inside forever, watching more people die at the hands of Dr. and Mrs. Bavarian. "Yeah, I do." 

"It's quite noble of you to want to not only help your friends, but to help us as well," said Wanda, her head leaning against Vis' shoulder. "And if it's any consolation, seeing Vis alive has been the happiest moment for me in my afterlife." 

"I'm glad I was able to make that happen," Peter smiled sheepishly. "Wanda, I have to ask. You said that your intuition was right. What intuition are you referring to? 

"You don't know?" She turned to Vis. "You're that unaware of the power that you hold?" 

"Aside from my ghost whispering, I really don't know what you're talking about." 

"You dreamt about how my brother and I died. You also dreamt about the night Natasha and Clint died. There are very few people who could possess such a gift as complex as yours. I've only read about it in textbooks. You may think you're just a ghost whisperer but there is something greater inside of you." Wanda sat down next to Peter. "So tell me, who are you really? What were your parents like?" 

Peter shrugged. "I don't know what there is to say about them. They died when I was young. Both of my parents were ghost whisperers. They were pretty normal for the most part." 

"Ghost whispering was passed down from your parents, I see. Anyone else in your family have this gift or possess supernatural abilities?" 

"My uncle was a ghost whisperer as well, but he's passed on. I really don't know much else about my other family members. My Aunt May doesn't have this gift. Lucky her, I guess." Peter paused, trying to remember everything that he could about his parents until a memory came back that was so vivid, he had no idea that he still remembered it after all these years. "You know, there is something about my mom that she mentioned once. It was really strange, but supposedly she was a descendant of a witch from the Salem Witch Trials. Yeah, I remember I was probably five at the time and was only then becoming aware of being able to talk to ghosts. It was then she sat me down and told me that I must have inherited her and my dad's power. She wondered if perhaps I would inherit her other secret powers but..." Peter shook his head. "But that's insane right? I mean, how can I possibly have powers like that?" 

"Is it really though?" Wade asked. "Babe, the most insane part of you would be that you like watching Antique Roadshow." 

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Pietro protested. 

"If you're not over the age of 60, there's nothing wrong with that," Vis joked.

Wanda smirked at the banter she missed between her brother and her boyfriend before turning back to Peter. "Wade has a point. Is anything really that far-fetched? I mean, look at where we are." 

"Maybe, but that's all for another day." Peter stood up from the couch. "What matters now is that we have to get Tony and Stephen out of this house before Dr. and Mrs. Bavarian take two more victims. I sure as hell am not going to leave without them, regardless of how and Nat and Clint feel." 

"And then what?" Pietro asked. 

"Destroy the house. I mean, it's the only sure way that we can stop those ghosts." 

"Sounds great, but what about the rest of us?" Wanda asked. "We can't exactly leave the house since we've died in here. So if you tried to tear the place down, we're still tied down to the property. I mean, as much as I love my brother, I want to get out of here! I need to be able to move on from this place!" 

"She's right," said Vis. "Burning the place will only solve half of the problem. The longer the spirits are trapped here, the more violent they will become and if we destroy the place, how will we not know that they won't just haunt whatever is built over the ashes? So I propose that we move the bones out of here." 

"Isn't that grave robbing?" Wade asked. 

"Not exactly since we were never properly buried to begin with," Pietro answered. 

"Not to mention once we find your bones and bury you all, everyone should be able to properly move on and I can finally get a good night's sleep," Peter added. "So, where is everyone buried?" 

"You know where we're buried," Wanda said ominously, leading the group towards the very end of the hallway and pointing at the locked door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: alright so how do i explain the whole thing with Peter's dreams??  
> *watches AHS: Apocalypse*  
> me: hmmmmmmmmm....


	16. The Basement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what to say about this chapter, aside from enjoy!!

"The basement," Peter whispered. "Where it all went down." 

"What are we all looking at?" Tony walked over to see what the others were huddled around, with Stephen, Natasha, and Clint behind him. Peter didn't notice that the arguing had ceased when the four of them joined. He was rather relieved too. He really didn't want to intervene anyway. "Why are we looking at this door?" 

"I have a question for you four," Peter pointed out the new additions. "When the realtor showed you this place, did they mention what was behind this door?"

"They did," Natasha replied, "but they couldn't find the key to the door and I couldn't have been bothered to look for it, nor did our curiosity want us to seek it out." 

"I think I know where it is," Stephen excused himself from the group to retreat back up the stairs. He came back down a few minutes later, holding an antique gold key in his hand. He handed it to Peter. "The realtor told us the same thing, but when I found it, I thought it went to the closet door." 

Peter held the key up. This key was the answer to everything that made this house so dark and sinister. Once he'd open that door he'd find out just what really happened to Elizabeth and Bartholomew, what unspeakable horrors went down in that basement. He turned to everyone else, who waited with great anticipation what his next move would be. 

"I guess this is the part where I tell you all my game plan, huh?" Peter asked. He didn't wait for anyone to respond. "Alright then, I guess this is the plan: we get Tony and Stephen out of this house. You two will grab as much stuff as you can and get them in the cars. You can even put some stuff in my car too." 

"Got it," Stephen and Tony agreed.

"Wanda and Pietro," Peter turned to them, "do you guys think you can help Tony and Stephen out? Unless you're both okay to go back in that basement, I mean..." 

"We can help them," said Wanda, looking at brother and then at Stephen and Tony. "We'll help you out."

"Can we be of any service to you?" Natasha asked. 

"Now that you mention it, I am definitely going to need you guys as lookout as Vis, Wade, and I go down in the basement to do some investigating," said Peter. "They can't kill all three of us down there, can they?" 

"Not a chance," Clint shook his head. "They may be from the 20th century but these guys are deadly. Nat and are coming down with you." 

"Well I'm not gonna argue with a little more protection," said Wade. "So let's see what this bad boy opens up to!" 

"You definitely put the 'enthusiast' in 'ghost enthusiast', that's for sure," Vis commented.

Peter put the key into the hole and turned it. Giving it a jiggle, the door unlocked and was slowly opened. As the door swung wide, a putrid smell was emitted that made everyone gag. It was like a combination of rust mixed with mold, the scent was so powerful. 

"Oh god!" Tony gagged. "It's that smell again! It's back!" 

"Oh cripes, this is what you were talking about earlier?" Peter asked, trying not to breathe in the awful smell. "My god! I'm feeling dizzy!" 

"Guys, we have to go down there!" Vis tried to lead Wade and Peter down the stairs. "Wanda, Pietro, get them upstairs!" 

"Keep the door open!" Wade called out as he followed Vis down the stairs.

As the two went down into the pitch black basement, Peter tried to turn the light switch but the light did not come on. He noticed that Wade and Vis were using the lights on their phones to guide them, so Peter did the same, with Natasha and Clint following behind. Each step was creakier than the last one. The air smelled even worse down in the basement, it was hard not to breathe it in. There wasn't much stability on the railing either as they made their down the stairs. Peter shone his light on the walls, which showed some growing mold that seeped in the small cracks. This was all starting to give him the heebie jeebies.

"So," said Peter. "Did you guys finally make peace with Tony or are you guys planning on haunting him for the rest of his life?" 

"After all that yelling," said Clint, " and trust me, there was a lot of yelling, I've finally made peace with him. Turns out there really is no use in holding a grudge into the afterlife. Maybe I just needed to release everything that I wanted to say to him because I held so much in when the whole thing went down in the first place." 

"And perhaps I was a bit harsh on you," Natasha admitted. "I needed to think about what I would've done had I been you in that situation. What if it was Steve that came to me with that same predicament? It turns out we're not so different. I'm sorry, Peter. I know it doesn't make up for what you probably had to deal with as everyone took sides, but I hope you can forgive me." 

"And I hope you can forgive me as well," Clint added. 

Peter simply nodded, a small smile on his face noting that he had accepted their apologies. The three of them reached the bottom of the stairs. Peter held his light up to find that basement appeared to be bare upon first glance. He shone his light off to the side, finding Vis and Wade exploring other parts of the basement. He, along with Clint and Natasha, joined Wade and Vis in their exploration.

"Fascinating that this has maintained such a condition after all this time," Vis noted, his fingertips grazing the walls. "I'm amazed that the walls have stood this tall all this time."

"Yeah, but it still reeks of everything disgusting," said Wade, plugging up his nose. "What are we looking for exactly?" 

"We need to find out where everyone is buried," said Peter. He turned to Clint and Natasha. "Guys, is any of this place ringing a bell?" 

"I wish it was but sadly, after we died, our bodies were gone," Natasha replied. "I woke up to find myself in the same spot I was in when I died. Funny, I don't remember anyone coming in and collecting my body. Do you, Clint?" 

"I sure don't, because no one could find a body to properly bury. If any luck they'd be in here, right?" Clint asked, looking for a hidden door that could've potentially been within these walls. "So if I were a maniacal doctor, where would I bury my wife in this basement?"

"Supposedly, he buried his wife in boxes," Vis replied, looking high and low for any hidden compartments. "Chopped her up and buried her in separate boxes that he was going to properly dispose of but never got the chance to since his wife ended up killing him." 

"So what did she do with his body then?" Natasha asked. 

"Probably buried her over there," Peter pointed out the small door in the corner of the basement. He shone his light on the wooden door that was just as tall as he was. He then shone his light down on the ground and noticed it was stained with blood. He hadn't paid much attention to the ground and saw that there were many large stains all over where he was standing. 

"Oh shit," Wade and Clint gasped, looking at the floor around them.

"Looks like the doctor was busy," Natasha muttered. 

Peter reached his hand out, twisting the doorknob and opening the door. Everything was pitch black. He looked behind him to see everyone was standing by his side, waiting for him to discover what true lied within. He took a step forward and then another step forward. His phone was running low on battery and he really hoped it wouldn't die on him now. Not when he could potentially discover something great. With the light on as bright as it could be, he discovered that there were many wooden boxes stacked on shelves. None of them were marked. He grabbed a box, which was much heavier than he expected it to be, and held it against his chest. He slowly opened the lid of the box and what he found was one of the greatest shocks of he life. He let out a blood curdling scream when he saw what was inside. 

"Peter!" Wade rushed in the room. "I'm here! What did you-OH MY GOD!" 

Everyone else gathered around to see what was in the box that Peter was holding. They were horrified to see the contents but no one was more horrified than Natasha was when she saw what was left of her decapitated head.


	17. Heads Will Roll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *jams out to the yeah yeah yeahs while writing this chapter*

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Natasha screamed, circling around the room. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?" 

"Natasha it's okay! It's okay!" Clint held her, rocking her back and forth as he tried to calm her down. "You're with me. It's alright now. It's alright." 

"Jesus fuck, was that...was that the working of Bartholomew?" Vis asked, still in shock over what he saw. "He just...holy fuck." 

"Who fucking knows?" Wade shook his head. "It could've been Elizabeth for all we know!" 

"Guys! Guys!" Peter shouted. He had only now gotten over the initial shock of seeing Natasha's head and was still holding onto the box, closed shut, of course. "Who gives a fuck who did it? We still need to get rid of them and properly get all of Natasha's bones out of here so that she can be buried." 

"Yeah," Natasha nodded, avoiding eye contact with everyone but Clint. "Yeah, just don't show me any of my other parts." 

"Can't we just bury the head and be done with it?" Clint asked. 

"That's not how it works," said Wade. "Haven't you seen any ghost movie? Everyone knows that you have to get every bone in this house and bury them properly in order for poltergeists to stop haunting your television." 

"Yeah, but it's going to look really bad if we just show up with a bunch of bones in a bag and try to tell the authorities that we just wanted to give our friends a proper burial because they were killed by a 100-year-old couple," said Vis. "Do you know what they would say about us?" 

"Well damn, Vis! What other choice do we have? We gotta get these bones out of here one way or another!" 

"And you're sure they're all in those boxes?" Clint asked Peter. 

"Would you like to see for yourself?" Peter asked.

Clint shrugged. "Might as well help you find my bones. Give you an extra set of hands. Nat and Wade, I'm gonna need you to find me something I can put everyone's bones in." 

"I found these old timey laundry bags in this corner of the basement!" Wade held up the bags over his head. "We can start with Natasha's head." Wade stopped himself and looked at Natasha apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." 

"I'll be okay," Natasha nodded. "Just a bit of a shock for me to see is all."

"Hey," Wade patted Nat on the back reassuringly. "It's alright. We're gonna give you guys a proper burial. Once we do that, I think we should celebrate your guys' lives. Sound good?" 

"I'm not much of a 'celebrated life' per say, but that's very kind of you." Natasha looked out at Peter, who was back in the tiny room, looking for the other remains with Clint and Vis, and then turned back to Wade. "I see why Peter loves you so much." 

"I feel the same about him," Wade smiled. 

"Oh shit, my head!" Clint yelped from inside the room. There was a thud, followed by an "ow!" Clint stumbled out of the room, holding a couple of boxes in his arms. "So the good news is, we found all of my stuff! Not gonna lie, seeing my head was a bit...much to say the least." 

"So do we just dump everything in this bag then?" Natasha asked. "And where do we put it?" 

"Put the bags in my car," said Vis. "I mean, I really don't want to, but if anything happens, I can just say this is for research." 

"So as long as no one digs up the heads," Peter commented, as he and Clint empty out the remains into the bag and tied up nice and tight. "So that's one body. Better keep digging through these boxes."

"We better get in there," Natasha said to Wade. "Wouldn't want my body to be attached to Wanda's head." 

"Or worse, you could have Elizabeth's body attached to your head," Wade pointed out.

So the quintet got to work on digging through the rest of the boxes, opening each one to find some bones that had all but withered away in the time they were kept in the dank basement. Natasha inspected each and every bone to try to find which were hers. Once she found something, she tossed it aside and gathered everything up in a bag of her own. After much labor was put into their archeological expedition, they now had six bags worth of bones that were collected. Each of them brought a bag up, with Vis carrying up what he assumed were Wanda and Pietro's bones. Once they were all up the stairs, Wanda, Pietro, Stephen, and Tony had just walked back into the house, loading the last of what they could fit into their cars. The four of them looked at the five carrying the laundry bags and couldn't believe how filthy they all had gotten. Everyone was covered in soot from head to toe and the putrid smell was more than evident as Stephen held in his breath and sprayed a can of Febreeze all over them. 

"I see you guys were successful in grave digging," Tony mused. "What did you guys find?"

"It was more of a box rummaging, mind you," Wade smirked. "Found some lovely artifacts that the ghosts kept after all these years! So naturally we'll be taking these with us and burying them somewhere nice like next to an Olive Garden." 

"Can I be buried next to a Petco?" Clint asked. "I want to play with the dogs for all my afterlife!" 

"Wherever you bury him, I have to be buried next to him," Natasha's eyes narrowed at Clint, "and I will NOT be buried next to a Petco." 

Clint pouted. "What if we were buried next to an animal shelter instead?" 

Natasha shrugged. "I'll think about it."

"Well I know where I want to be buried!" Pietro declared as he looked in the bag of bones Vis brought up. "The track field at UConn. Yeah, it seems like a good place for me to haunt." 

"It's funny, I never gave it much thought," said Wanda, looking through the other bag of bones Vis had. "But then again, I didn't think I would've died before I graduated college." 

"Well, I have my place ready and I have my bones back! Never thought I'd be this happy to have them back." 

"I don't think any of us did," said Clint. He looked over at Peter, Wade, and Vis. "And we have these three to thank for that."

Peter, Wade, and Vis looked at one another, smiling and feeling quite humble for being able to do something right by them. 

"Though I have to ask," Stephen spoke up, "what about the other two bags of bones Peter and Wade are holding? What do you plan to do with them?" 

"You know, that's a good question," said Peter, looking down at the bag he held as well as Wade's. "I haven't the faintest clue on what to do with them." 

"We can brainstorm once we get the other bags in my car," said Vis, leading the ghosts out of the house. "Just put them in the trunk." 

"I'm gonna go upstairs and double check we didn't miss anything," Tony excused himself. 

"So everything you found was in that little room inside the basement?" Stephen asked. "Sounds like something out of a horror show." 

"Yeah, be lucky you weren't down there," said Peter. "I don't think I'll get over the image of finding Natasha's head in that box ever again." 

"Guess that means we won't be renting Seven any time soon?" Wade asked.

"I think that's everything we can fit in the cars, once again," said Tony, joining the others at the bottom of the steps. "Have we taken care of our bone situation?" 

"So the bones are accounted for!" Vis announced, entering back in the house, along with the ghosts. "I think that takes care of everyone." 

"Everyone except the macabre couple over here," said Stephen, pointing out the two bags of bones. "We better get them out of this house." 

"Sure thing," said Wade, grabbing one of the bags. He tried to lift it over his shoulder but the bag wouldn't budge. It felt like there were cinder blocks inside that weighed it down. He tried to lift the other bag up but it was the same thing. Both bags became heavier all of a sudden. 

"What the hell?" Wade tried everything to lift the bags off the ground. "Did someone do something to these?" 

"Are you even lifting them correctly?" Tony asked, trying his had to pick up one of the bags but nothing. "These weren't that heavy when you got them, we're they?" 

"That's the thing! What the hell is-" 

Wade felt a force lift him up off the ground and throw him against the wall. Peter ran to Wade's side while Tony backed away from the bag. He took another step backwards and fell on his back, his body sliding into the other room and hitting an end table. 

"The fuck was that?" Wade cried out. 

"Babe," Peter said quietly, looking up at the flickering lights in the hallway, "we're not alone anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be three more chapters after this one. I'll definitely need some time to plan out these last chapters so don't expect them to be out so soon. The earliest I would say would be the weekend for chapter 18? I hope you all understand. Thank you all for continuing to read this story. Your feedback is more than appreciated.


	18. Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh how do i end this story?

The lights continued to flicker on and off, when suddenly, the light bulbs burst. The whole first floor had now gone completely dark. They were here. Peter could now feel their presence in the house. It wasn't like when he first sensed Natasha's presence or any of the other ghosts. The chill stung him as he felt a finger trace along the side of his face. Dr. Bartholomew and Elizabeth were close and Peter was not prepared.

"Fuck," Peter whispered, helping Wade up off the ground. "They're pissed." 

"Where are they?" Stephen looked around. Everyone was now huddled together in one room. "Can't you make them show their faces?" 

"That's not how it works, Strange! What I need to do is get yourself and Tony out of here. Someone could get hurt." 

"No!" Tony refused. "We're fighting this thing with you! As a team! Did you hear that, evil ghosts? We have more of us than there are of you!"

"Don't do it," Clint warned him. "You really have no idea what kind of forces these two are."

"Why do you think that basement was locked this whole time?" Wanda's eyes averted towards the hallway. "Did someone close the door after you guys came back up?" 

"Of course we did!" Vis said with confidence. "In fact, I have the key..." Vis felt his pants pockets and realized he was not the one who had the key. He looked to the rest of the group. "Who's got the key?" 

"Do I look like I'm responsible enough to be trusted with it?" Wade snorted. 

"I could've sworn I had it," Peter patted down every pants pocket for the key. "Where did it go?"

"Oh dear, you lot really are quite a pathetic bunch." 

Everyone turned to the doorway to find a man with short dark brown hair and hazel eyes dressed in a black, elegant suit. Peter recognized the man in black from his dream. Dr. Bartholomew Bavarian was holding the antique gold key in his fist, a devious smile on his face.

"Oh my god," Vis gasped. "Bartholomew." 

"That's Dr. Bartholomew to you," he snapped, making his way towards the group. He looked each and every one of them up and down until he stopped at Peter. He circled him around, inspecting him up and down. "You're not what I expected you to be for a medium. Or do you prefer to be called a psychic?" 

"I prefer to be called by my name," Peter responded. "As I'm sure you'd like for us to refer to you as Dr. Bartholomew." 

"Oh, so you're quite the clever one, aren't you? It's true with what they say, isn't it? Looks can be deceiving." 

"So they can." 

"I was wondering when he'd join us," Elizabeth walked right in. She looked rather elegant in her emerald green satin dress, her auburn hair pulled up in a bun and her brown eyes as big as when Peter first saw her in his dream. "Oh, and he brought friends, how wonderful! Well, this will certainly be quite the party then."

"Actually my kind of parties are the ones where Cobra Starship's Good Girls Go Bad is played at high volume," Wade spoke up. 

"Oooh, nice choice," Clint agreed, fist bumping Wade.

"Can you idiots focus on the fact that we have two ghosts who are going to kill us right in front of us?" Wanda cried out.

"Darling, you're right," Elizabeth shook her head, looking back at her husband. "These really are quite a pathetic bunch." She paced around them, looking down at her victims carefully as she fiddled with the slender sliver knife that she held in her hands. "Now the question that remains is, who gets to die first?"

"I, for one, would very much like to live, but that's just a personal preference of mine," said Tony. "And as far as my boyfriend goes, along with my friends whom you haven't already killed prior, they would also not like to die in this house tonight." 

"Well, that's not a choice you get to make, now is it?" Bartholomew asked. 

"And all of that is up to you?" Vis asked. "What about the Kirby's when they first moved into the house? Did they have a choice on whether or not they got to survive? How about the Smith's who were just getting their lives started? I bet they didn't have a choice either, huh? Or maybe when you killed my best friend and the love of my life? WHAT ABOUT THEM?" 

"Vis, stop!" Peter held him back from attacking the ghosts. 

"Ah, such sad cases, indeed," Bartholomew mused. "Of course, I should've killed you that night as well especially now that I know you took something from the house that night. But quite frankly, I didn't think you were of any use to me. Besides, I saw those twins and knew they were trouble." He smiled maniacally at Wanda and Pietro. "It had been so long since a living soul had come down here that I felt such a rush decapitating their bodies, piece by piece." 

"You're a fucking monster!" Vis tried to lunge at Bartholomew but Peter kept him held back. "Why would you do this? Why would the both of you do this?" 

"Because my husband is a madman," Elizabeth replied. "A disease plagued his brain. It ran in all the men in his family. The Bavarian curse, I'd like to call it. I only hoped that perhaps it would've skipped over my sweet little Billy. Had it not been for the drugs that he abused, perhaps all of you wouldn't be in this mess." 

"Should we tell her?" Wade whispered. 

Peter shook his head. "So then why do you do it?" he asked. 

"I wanted revenge at first," Elizabeth answered. "Bartholomew took away the man that worshiped the ground I walked on and my beautiful son. I wanted him to pay. Of course, biding my time was the hardest part. But then after I killed him, everything felt so empty. Kitty had adopted Billy as her own son and she had moved away with her fiance. The house collected dust and it felt as if I was stuck in a time loop, doomed to live out the same day for the rest of my life. To make matters worse I was stuck with my husband for the rest of eternity. All because his grandfather doomed us all in this godforsaken house!" 

"What do you mean he doomed you all?" Wade asked. "Did he make a deal with the devil and that's why you're all stuck in this crappy purgatory?" 

"At this rate, he might as well have made one," Bartholomew said. "See, my grandfather wanted to find a way to protect the house. He also dabbled in a bit of witchcraft. One night, he performed a spell that would protect everyone that lived in the house. Unfortunately for him, the spell backfired and thus doomed everyone who lived in this house. For if you died in this house, you would forever be bound to the house for all of eternity." 

"So many years passed before someone finally came into the house," said Elizabeth. "A family. Very lovely. But it felt wrong for them to live in this house. I didn't like it at all. So one night, my husband and I decided to kill them." 

"It wasn't easy," Bartholomew shook his head. "All that blood was a mess. We got sloppy with the bodies. The sister of the mother came in and found them in the morning. Authorities came in and collected all of the bodies. Ugh, such a nightmare. When they were taken away, we were surprised to find that their souls didn't stay in the house the way that ours did. Neither of us could explain why this was the case." 

"Then a couple would move into the house many years later and we killed them. I didn't care for them and Bartholomew just wanted to see if perhaps his grandfather's curse was lifted."

"But someone the couple knew found their bodies and thus, their souls were nowhere to be found in the house. So it got us to wonder if perhaps there was a loophole to the curse on the house. And that's when I realized, the only way the bodies could forever be tied to the house was if they were buried in this house. Of course! How could we have been so stupid?" 

"I can tell you how stupid you two would've been," Stephen muttered. 

"But you never properly buried your bodies," said Peter. "You put them in boxes in the basement. You couldn't have even bothered to put dirt in the boxes!" 

"A loophole, nonetheless," said Bartholomew. "So it was quite the surprise when we found some new bodies come into our house on such a late night." 

"Please don't make me relive that awful night," Wanda begged. 

"Oh quiet you!" Elizabeth snapped. "Serves you two right for sneaking around here in the first place!"

"And this time we were able to plan it all out," said Bartholomew. "See, once the authorities did find the bodies, we took them out of the body bags and got to chopping everything up, thus putting the pieces in the boxes. But then they figured it out that they were dead." 

"Once we found out what you did to us, we wanted nothing to do with you," said Pietro. "You doomed us all." 

"Which was fine by us," Elizabeth shrugged. "We wanted nothing to do with you two either! Soon another couple bought the house and it was only a matter of time before we could kill again. But how would we get rid of them? It wasn't until I saw this redhead was cooking in the kitchen that I came up with quite the idea. I had a jar of poison in the basement that I had been saving for a rainy day. I just needed to find the right moment to add it in the sauce when she wasn't looking..." 

"It was quite brilliant too," Bartholomew added. "Why we hadn't thought of it years ago, I cannot explain." 

"It was the easiest kills executed too. I amaze even myself." Elizabeth twirled her thin knife around once more, circling the group once more. "But now, you all know way too much. So I guess that leaves me with one thing to do." 

She lunged her body towards Peter but before she could make a move, Peter pulled a small golden letter opener out of his back pocket and took it to Elizabeth's head, stabbing her right in the forehead


	19. A Fiery Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks. We are now approaching the end. But first, here's the chapter before the very end. The thing is, I always knew how I wanted it to end, but executing that ending was going to be the bane of my existence. I even thought about extending it to three chapters but realized that whatever I wanted to write could be done in two chapters, even if they were going to be massive. I didn't want to rush this so I thank you all for being so patient with me on this. Alright, here we go!

The blood dripped down the crook of Elizabeth's nose and onto her painted lips. She stepped backwards before falling to the floor, her husband looking down with his mouth wide open. Bartholomew looked at his wife and then back at the group, intensity burning in his eyes. He grabbed the knife that Elizabeth was holding in her hands and held it over his head. He was zoned in on Peter, running up to him before Wade could step in and knock him out with an uppercut to the jaw. Wade didn't wait to see if Bartholomew would get up in retaliation as he, Peter, and Vis tried to get the rest of the group out of the house and onto the front yard. The full moon illuminated on the darkness of the house. It had gotten considerably cold outside as the band of mortals and spirits huddled around, grateful for narrowly escaping the two sadistic ghosts that haunted the house. 

"Where the FUCK did you find that letter opener, Peter?" Tony yelped, as they all stood around on the front lawn, watching the house's lights flicker on and off. "Also, is it possible to kill a ghost that's already dead?" 

"I have no clue how I was able to do that!" Peter cried out, flustered. "I mean, I saw the letter opener in the basement and figured that could be a weapon of self defense, right?" 

"So can we all agree that Elizabeth and Bartholomew will stop at nothing to kill us?" Vis asked. 

"Oh yeah, those guys definitely want our heads on a stick," Stephen agreed. 

"Which means we need a better plan," Wade added. "Because even though I still have an amazing uppercut, I'm pretty sure Bartholomew will come back for me with a cane." 

"A cane?" Clint raised his eyebrows. 

"Guys, we gotta stay focused," said Peter. "We've knocked them down momentarily but they won't be down for long. We need to come up with a better plan." 

"What do you propose we do, Peter?" Natasha asked. 

"Tony and Stephen, you guys need to get out of town. Get to the nearest hotel and stay there for the time being. Can you guys do that for me?" 

"Alright," Tony nodded, looking to Stephen, who agreed to the plan. "Yeah, we can do that."

"And we'll take the bones with us too," Stephen offered. He looked around at the shocked faces of the ghosts. "We owe it to you guys that you are out of that house of horrors." 

"You would really do that for us?" Clint asked. "But we were pretty awful to you guys when you moved in." 

"I knew it wasn't a personal attack on me." 

"Well then, I accept your offer. That's really kind of you." 

"Stephen I can't stay behind," Wanda declined. "I can't let them hurt Vis. If something were to happen to him, I wouldn't forgive myself. Same goes for you two, Wade and Peter." 

"Wanda, are you sure?" Clint asked. "Your bones are free now. You don't have to stay chained to this house." 

"Clint's right," Natasha agreed. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" 

"I'm positive," Wanda nodded. "It's what I should do." 

"I am as well," said Pietro. "We can be their protection." 

"If you're sure of this, then okay," said Natasha before turning to Tony and Stephen. "I guess we'll just need our bones before we go and drive off into the night."

Stephen took Clint's bag of bones into the trunk of his car and Tony took Natasha's into his car. Everyone gathered around as the group was about to split up and be on their separate ways. 

"Before you two go," Peter stopped Natasha and Clint, pulling them aside, "there's something I should tell you in case something happens to me." 

"Peter, don't say that," Natasha shook her head. "You will make it out alive. I will seek to it that you, Wade, and Vis make it out alive." 

"Nat, let me finish, please. I talked to Bucky the other day and he says hello. To both of you." 

"Really?" Clint was surprised."That's a name I haven't heard in years." 

"He misses the both of you. He wanted me to let you know that." 

"Wow," was all Natasha could say for the moment. She turned her face away, trying not to let anyone see her get emotional. She turned back to Peter. "When you do make it and if you ever find yourself back in New York again, give Bucky this." She extended her arms out and hugged Peter tightly for a minute. 

"Give him this from me too," said Clint, joining in on the hug. "And tell him I hope he and Steve finally boned like they should've so long ago." 

"Thanks for killing the moment," Natasha teased, laughing and breaking up the group hug. "But I know you're gonna make it out of there." 

"For you are the chosen one," said Clint. "Or something like that. We'll take care of Tony and Stephen." 

"Thanks again, you guys," said Peter. "Keep Tony and Stephen safe for me."

"We will," Natasha smiled.

Peter watched Natasha and Clint get in their respective cars as Stephen and Tony drove away from the house for the very last time, not looking back. Peter didn't blame them. If he were them, he'd do the same. Peter looked back at the house. The lights were all off. Who knew where Bartholomew and Elizabeth were hiding but wherever they were, they weren't going to go easy on Peter and his friends. Well, he wasn't going down without a fight either. 

"So we've got two bodies out of there safe and sound," said Vis, standing beside Peter, with Wanda and Pietro joining him. "At least we can say someone made it out alive tonight." 

"But we're not done yet," said Wade, standing on Peter's other side. "There's some crazy ghosts we need to get rid of. So what's the plan, babe?" 

"We have to destroy the house," Peter answered. "Gut it from the inside out." 

"But how do we do that?" Pietro asked. 

"Just follow my lead. You'll see." 

The quintet scourged for anything they could find in the garage they could potentially arm themselves with as a means of protection from Bartholomew and Elizabeth. They couldn't believe how much was left behind in the garage from a lawnmower to a random tool box that had only a few of the necessities. Everyone managed to find something to arm themselves with. Pietro and Wanda found themselves a pair of shears, while Vis and Wade each grabbed an axe. Meanwhile, Peter searched high and low in the garage when he came upon a shovel. He had no idea why he picked it up, but it had to be helpful, Peter figured. To say that everyone's choice of weapon were all unusual was a bit of an understatement. They all looked at each other's choices with such peculiarity, wondering how they were going to protect one another. But when weaponry was a bit on the scarce side, beggars couldn't be choosers. Nonetheless, they were ready to take over the house and destroy it, once and for all. 

Leading the way, Peter opened the door to the empty house. It was freezing when they all stepped inside and the lights were all off. Wade flicked the light switch on but nothing happened. With his phone, Vis held the light up for everyone as they walked down the hall. Peter didn't feel Elizabeth's and Bartholomew's presences and that was worrisome. They checked every room on the first floor but neither Bavarian was to be found. Peter knew that the two ghosts were planning something, but they were prepared. 

They ventured up the stairs and split up to investigate every room. Peter and Wade started with one of the spare bedrooms while Vis, Wanda, and Pietro checked out the master bedroom. Even though none of the light switches worked, Peter recognized this room from his dream as Billy's room. It was completely bare, save for the yellowing flowered wallpaper. Suddenly, Peter felt a pair of cold hands touch his shoulders and a chilly breath creeping down his neck. He spun around to see who it was but all he saw was Wade. He turned back around and saw Elizabeth standing right in front of him, the slender knife firmly grasped in her fist. She lept up and slammed Peter's body against the wall. Dropping the shovel, he struggled to fight Elizabeth off but she was much stronger than he imagined her to be. There was no doubt that her thirst for blood was strong and that she would stop at nothing to kill anyone that stood in her way. With his axe, Wade took a swing to the back of Elizabeth's head and she was knocked down on the ground. Falling over, blood spilled out of her skull as Wade pulled the axe out from her head. Before they left the room, Peter made sure to grab his shovel as he and Wade went to warn the others that Bartholomew could be near. Just then, they heard a scream. Wade and Peter ran into the master bedroom to find Vis standing over Bartholomew's lifeless body with an axe in his back. Pietro and Wanda just stood over the body in shock. Vis turned around, face covered in blood. 

"Holy shit," Wade and Peter gasped. 

"Well, it looks like we've got them taken care of temporarily," said Vis, pulling the axe out of Bartholomew's back. 

"How long does it take for them to regenerate?" Peter asked. 

"It can't be long," Pietro shook his head. "Any moment now, Elizabeth's going to come back for us if we don't-" 

Vis felt something stab him in the arm. Screaming in pain, he crouched down on the ground, bleeding profusely. Satisfied with what she had done, Elizabeth pulled the knife out of Vis' arm and charged after Wade. Before she could stab him, Wanda came running towards Elizabeth with her sheers, stabbing her in the stomach. Coughing up blood, Elizabeth fell over.

"HOLY FUCK!" Wade screamed. "I just killed her like two minutes ago!" 

"Vis!" Wanda cried out, rushing to his side. 

Wanda and Peter helped Vis up off the ground, propping him up on the bed. His arm was bleeding out. Ripping off the cloth from the pillowcase, Wanda bandaged up Vis' arm as best as she could. 

"My god," Vis said hazily, looking up at Wanda with love in his eyes. "Wanda, that was amazing what you did." 

"Yeah, well, she messed with the wrong bitch," Wanda replied. 

"This is insane," Pietro paced around. "We are not well equipped for this at all. Even if we had all of the weapons in the world, we can't just keep killing these ghosts over and over again. There's got to be a better way to go about this, because HOLY SHIT!" 

Bartholomew sprung up from the floor to which Pietro stabbed him in the chest with his pair of sheers. 

"Guys, we need to burn this place to the ground!" Peter blurted out. 

"Burn it down?" Vis asked. "But why? And how?" 

"All those dreams that I've been having about this house, they've always shown the house was on fire. I think that's what my dreams have been trying to tell me. That's why I've been lured back to this place each and every time." 

"It's your destiny," said Vis. "Of course, it all makes more sense why the house would call to you. Clearly burning this place down to the ground and thus cleansing it of all the evil is the only way we can it can be destroyed." 

"Okay, buy how do we burn this house down?" Pietro asked. "There's no way we can just burn this place down with just a few matches." 

"No," said Peter. "But we do have something bigger." 

After a couple more times of regenerating, Elizabeth and Bartholomew were taken down by the time the quintet escaped the house and found shelter again in the garage. He knew when he saw the lawnmower, there had to be a container of gasoline somewhere and sure enough, he was able to find the red metal can. After getting rid of their makeshift weapons, the quintet stood once more on the front lawn, ready to enter the house one last time. 

"I need to go back in there alone," Peter declared. "If you all come in there with me, it'll be too much of a risk if something goes wrong." 

Everyone was gobsmacked, unsure of where Peter's lapse of judgment was coming from. They called him crazy and stupid, but no one protested this more than Wade did. 

"But they could kill you!" Wade cried out. "What good would I be if I let you back in that house on your own?" 

"I have to do this! It's my destiny, like Vis said. It has to be done." 

While the others understood the reason, Wade still wouldn't relent. He held Peter's hands, trying not to cry. "But...but what if you don't make it? How could I possibly live with the fact that I let you in there, knowing the grave consequences that await?" 

"Wade," Peter kissed Wade's hands tenderly. "At least know that my short life was made great knowing you were a part of it. Live knowing that you will be the greatest love of all." 

"Just like the Whitney Houston song?" 

"Exactly like the Whitney Houston song." 

Unsure of whether this would be their last time, Wade grabbed Peter by the face and kissed him deeply and passionately. For Peter, it was possibly the best kiss he ever had in his life and it was definitely not a bad way to go out. He opened his eyes and smiled at Wade. "I love you, Wade." 

"I love you too, Peter," Wade replied. 

Peter looked to Vis, Wanda, and Pietro. "Vis, are you able to drive back with your arm?" 

"I should be fine," Vis looked over at his arm, the blood soaking through the pillowcase that covered the wound. "I'll make sure these guys get out of here safely." 

"I really can't thank you enough, all of you." Peter picked up the can of gasoline. "Let's hope this works." 

"You can do it," said Vis. 

"We believe in you," said Pietro. 

"You've got this," said Wanda.

With one last nod of reassurance, Peter took the can and headed back into the house. As soon as he stepped in, the door slammed shut on him. Undeterred, Peter began to make a trail as he poured out the gasoline into every room on the first floor. He made his way up the stairs and dumped the rest of what was left in the half-empty container into the rooms upstairs. Once the container was empty, he ran back down the stairs and went down the hall until he found the door for the basement. Opening the door, he threw the can down the stairs and closed the door. He ran down the hallway and was about to leave the house one last time, when suddenly...

"Come to surrender?" Elizabeth asked. 

Peter turned around to see Elizabeth and Bartholomew standing ten feet away from him, practically drenched in blood. Oddly enough, neither of them had any weapons on them as they slowly approached Peter.

"What exactly do I have to surrender?" Peter asked. 

"Don't patronize my wife like that, you fool!" Bartholomew spat. 

"I'm not here to patronize anyone!" Peter argued back. "Can you at least let me talk?" 

Bartholomew looked at his wife, who simply gave him a nod, and then back at Peter. "Alright, I will let you speak." 

"You don't have to live like this," said Peter. "The killing, the blood lust. This isn't what you want! Deep down, all you both want is to see your son once more. You want to be reunited with him and I can help you with that." 

"Why do you want to help us?" Elizabeth sneered. 

"Because that's what I know how to do!" Peter finally admitted. "For so long, I've struggled with this so-called gift. I've denied that this was a part of me, but the ghosts were always there, no matter how hard I tried to shut them out. It's only until recently that I realized that I need to start embracing this gift. The dreams I've been having, it all makes sense now! Look, I may not be able to bring you back from the dead, but what I can do is to try to move you on to the next stage. I'd like to think that I've done that for Clint, Natasha, Wanda, and Pietro tonight. Perhaps I can do the same for you two." Peter reached his hand out to Elizabeth and Bartholomew. "So let's end all the fighting, all of the killing, and I can take you guys out of this house. Would you like that?" 

Elizabeth and Bartholomew looked at one another for a moment, letting it sink in the possibility of being elsewhere, the chance to be reunited with their son. For a split second, they seriously considered taking Peter's offer. But the smile on Bartholomew's face said otherwise. 

"You think I'd actually consider leaving this estate?" Bartholomew laughed, pulling a letter opener out of his pocket and pointing it at Peter's neck. "This is MY house and I'll be damned if someone tells me how to move on!" 

"NO!" Peter screamed. Bartholomew's body was lifted up and thrown against the wall. Shocked, Peter had no idea how he did that without touching Bartholomew. Elizabeth stood there in shock at first and then came charging after him. He concentrated hard and was able to stop her from getting any closer to him. Her body was slammed against the wall, knocking her out. Knocking the door down, Peter then ran out of the house, making it only a few feet onto the front lawn with the rest of his friends waiting for him outside. 

"GIVE ME THE LIGHTER GUYS!" Peter screamed. "GIVE ME THE LIGHTER!" 

Without saying another word, Wade tossed the lighter he had from his pocket to Peter. Running back to the front steps of the house, Peter stopped when he saw Bartholomew and Elizabeth were standing in the doorway. 

"You've dared messed with the wrong ghosts!" Elizabeth exclaimed, ready to charge at Peter. 

Peter smirked. "And you've messed with the wrong ghost whisperer." 

Peter extended his arm out, almost as if to push her, and both Bartholomew and Elizabeth went flying back into the house. With a flick of the wrist, he lit a flame and threw the lighter into the house. With the door shut, everyone outside watched the flames began to grow inside the house. Elizabeth and Bartholomew were screaming for help as the house burned. The flames kept growing bigger and bigger. It was a terrible and beautiful sight to behold. The screams only got louder as the house began to deteriorate. In a trance, Peter walked back up to house and reached out for the door...


	20. Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. I still can't believe it's over. Hasn't really sunk in just yet. First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you who has ever come across this story. Whether you've left a kudos, a comment, or just read this story, it means so much to me that you enjoy what I have written. It started with a wild idea and has now become this. So I leave you all with the final chapter. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

The rest of the events that transpired that night were all a blur for Peter. One minute he was reaching for the door and the next, he was getting tackled by Wade. From what he could piece together, there was an explosion. Wade had made it in time to get him into the car. There was also a lot of yelling, but then things went dark and when he woke up, he was at home.

The next day, authorities came round to the Bavarian house after calls were made about the smell of burning. What they found were the charred remains of what was still standing of the house. The realtor who had sold Tony and Stephen the house was immediately alerted of this, who then called the couple to let them know of the tragedy that befell on the house. In turn, Tony confronted them regarding the orgins of the house and the murders that had taken place many years ago. When they confessed to knowing this, both parties agreed that the most drastic of action would not be taken as they came to a settlement. In turn, Tony did everything in his power to keep so that his and Stephen's names were not to be associated with the Bavarian House. The best part of all of it was that Stephen and Tony ended up with all of their money back and then some. 

With all that was left of the house, it would've been impossible for a contractor to replicate the original design. The clean up crew immediately got to work on the place, disposing all of the furniture that had barely survived the fire. The bones of Dr. Bartholomew and Elizabeth Bavarian were discovered a couple of days after the fire by a city worker where the study once stood. The bones were then taken in to a lab upstate to do some forensics studies and once the scientists discovered who the bones belonged to, they were finally laid to rest in a grave where the rest of the Bavarian families were buried. 

It had been a month since the events that had transpired that night. Tony and Stephen were currently in Stephen's old apartment for the time being while they looked for a more permanent place. It wasn't the most ideal place for the two, but considering the hell they had put themselves through with their house, it was better than a possessed house on the cheap. In the meantime, they were also accommodating Clint and Natasha while they struggled to find a place themselves to be laid to rest. All they knew was that they wanted to be buried together but there was no place they had a close tie with that would satisfy them. So they slept on the couch and thought about what they wanted to do with the rest of their afterlife. 

The puncture wound that Vis had sustained from Elizabeth's knife would soon heal. Come Monday morning, it was back to work. Of course, there was the matter of gaining two ghostly roommates, but that wouldn't last long. Two weeks later, Vis had Pietro and Wanda cremated, per request, and properly laid them to rest. While Pietro couldn't be buried on the UConn track field, Vis was able to scatter his ashes onto the field. As for Wanda, Vis scattered her ashes out into a lake by the campus. It was there where Vis told her that he loved her. She couldn't think of a better place for her to go. As he spread the last of her ashes, he could've sworn that he heard Wanda say to him one last time, "I love you." 

Things had gone back to normal for Peter and Wade. Well, almost normal. Wade was still as enthusiastic about ghosts even after the events that had transpired. But beyond the enthusiasm, he was just relieved that the love of his life was still alive and sleeping comfortably next to him in bed. Peter was no longer having dreams about the house since the night he destroyed it. But there was something else that was bothering him since that night. The things that he was able to do in his dreams as well as what he did that night weren't adding up. So he did a little bit more research, consulting Aunt May what she knew about his mom, reading up on witchcraft, and even testing out any other abilities he might have. According to Aunt May, it turned out his mother was right about being a direct descendant of Salem. His mom possessed an array of powers, but the most dominant power that she had was telekinesis, a power that Peter now had possessed. With this new knowledge, he began to work on how to strengthen his power. It was hard at times, considering he could only work out the one power he knew he had, but with encouragement from those around him, Peter was sure he'd get better at it. 

It was a chilly October morning in New York. Peter, Wade, and Vis had flown in the night before and were staying over at Aunt May's in Queens. A date had finally be arranged to lay Natasha and Clint's bodies to rest. There was an old oak tree in upstate New York where Natasha would sit under and watch birds from. She had taken Clint there once and to him, it was the second most beautiful thing that he had seen. From there, Tony and Stephen looked up the exact location of the tree and quickly made arrangements to have Clint and Natasha buried. 

Peter, Wade, and Vis were driving up to a forest in Utica. The three of them would be meeting up with Tony and Stephen, ready to lay Clint and Natasha to rest. But before Clint and Natasha could be properly laid to rest, there was one last thing they had requested Peter do for them. Peter had called Steve to invite him to the burial a couple of weeks ago. Steve was hesitant at first, considering his ex would also be there. But after some convincing on Peter's part, he agreed to come to the burial with Bucky.

"Hey," Tony greeted the moment Peter got out of the car. "Glad you could make it." 

"Good to see you," said Peter, coming in for a hug. He noticed Tony and Stephen, dressed in their best dark suits, were each carrying an small urns. "We're not late, are we?" 

"No, you guys are early. You guys got the shovels?" 

"Right here!" Wade popped open the trunk of the car, handing a shovel off to Vis as he took the other one. "Aunt May didn't seem to mind at all when we told her we were off to bury some old friends. But then again, she's not exactly one we'd call normal, is she?" 

"Like I said, my uncle was a ghost whisperer himself, so nothing is too shocking for her."

"Your aunt's nonchalance of everything supernatural almost frightens me," Vis commented. "I can't even talk to my own folks about my profession without them being completely spooked." 

Stephen smirked at this comment. 

"So..." Tony looked down at his feet. "Do we know when Steve is coming?" 

Vis and Wade's eyes immediately turned to Peter. Before he could say anything, a silver car pulled up. Exiting the car was a tall man with polished blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, dressed smartly in a black suit. The other person was a man with longish dark brown hair and a scruffy beard, his eyes as blue as the ocean. His black leather jacket was worn underneath his black dress shirt and pants. The blonde locked eyes with Tony. He couldn't believe that Steve had shown up. He looked good, as did Bucky. 

"Are we late?" Steve asked. 

"No, you're right on time," Tony answered. "Steve, it's been a while." 

"So it has," Steve noticed Stephen and extended his hand. "Hello there, Steve Rogers." 

"Hello, Stephen Strange," Stephen accepted his hand. "Nice to meet you." 

"You as well." 

Peter could tell that Tony was really tense the moment he saw Steve get out of that car, but after the friendly introduction between his ex and current boyfriend, Tony appeared to have eased up. This was good, Peter thought. When all was said and done, everyone walked through the forest until they reached the tree. From there, Wade and Vis began to dig a hole. From a distance, Peter watched his former friends become reacquainted with one another, he felt two cold hands touch his shoulders.

"Is this what you expected for your funeral?" Peter asked. 

"Not exactly," Clint replied. "Would've thought I'd have a couple of decades to figure out how my funeral would look." 

"Is it weird to say the location is perfect?" Natasha asked. 

"For you?" Peter smirked. "Not out of the ordinary." 

"How did it all go for the twins? Must've been hard for Vis to let go of Wanda once more." 

"It was cathartic, to say the least. But she was ready to go. I think once she saw Pietro move on, she figured that it was her time to go. It was tough on Vis, but he's doing better." 

"Hopefully he knows that she's at peace," said Clint. He looked over at his former friends and smiled. "Should I scare Steve?" 

"No Clint," said Natasha. "Let him be. It's nice to see he and Bucky ended up together. Almost as if that's how it was supposed to be." 

"You think so?" Peter asked. 

"I know so." 

"So what are you going to do once we finally move on to the afterlife?" Clint asked. "I mean, we already were in the afterlife, but this time we'll be in a better place, as they say." 

"Haven't really given much thought into that," Peter replied, thinking about whether or not to disclose his newfound telekinetic powers. He decided against it. "I still have my regular job, Wade has the restaurant. We'll definitely still see Vis from time to time. Only time will tell if the three of us will be ghost hunting once more." 

"What about Tony?" Natasha asked. "Will you still see him?" 

Peter nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yeah, I'll see him and Stephen. They're back to looking at houses again. Even asked me to come with in case the next place is haunted. Hopefully that's not the case though." 

Clint and Natasha laughed.

"So, are you guys ready to move on?" Peter asked. 

Clint and Natasha looked at one another and then looked out at everyone who had come to pay their respects. "Can we say goodbye to everyone before we leave?" Clint asked. 

"Of course. Take as much time as you need." 

"I think you should get back over there with the others," said Natasha. "But before you do." She reached her arms out and gave Peter a hug. Clint joined in on the hug and the three of them hugged each other for a minute before letting go. "Take care of yourself, kid." 

"We really can't thank you enough," said Clint. "For everything." 

"It's what I'm here to do," said Peter.

With that, Clint and Natasha had disappeared and Peter was alone. He returned back to the burial site, standing right beside Wade and Vis. 

"Babe, where did you go?" Wade asked. "Is everything alright?" 

"Yeah, everything's good," Peter reassured him. "Just had to give some parting words of my own to a couple of ghosts." He observed the holes that were dug up to bury the remains of Clint and Natasha. "The graves look good." 

"Anything we can do to be sure that they get a proper send off," Vis commented, observing the other people around him. "It's nice to see that everyone could come together like this. Can't imagine the circumstances are easy." 

"I think everyone has been able to move on," said Peter, "and it's just what Clint and Natasha would've wanted." 

"So does this mean we won't be ghost hunting anymore?" Wade asked. 

"Not necessarily," said Vis. "You both know you're more than welcome to give your input on any cases I may have come up in the future. Or, you know, you both could always work with me. Ever thought about a new career path, Wade?" 

"I have," Wade laughed at his admission. "But after what I witnessed, the fact that I could've very well lost the love of my life that night," he stole a glance from Peter, smiling, "I think I'll just stick with my regular day job and keep the ghost hunting as a strict hobby of mine. At least I got to live out my fantasy." 

"I thought your fantasy was to go scuba diving to find the passengers of the Titanic?" Peter asked. 

"I have a few fantasies," Wade admitted. 

"What about you, Peter?" Vis asked. "What's next for you?" 

Peter thought about what he had said to Clint and Natasha, continuing on with his normal life and his normal job. He was definitely able to move on with his normal job, but he was also ready to embrace the supernatural aspects of his life. He was done trying to hide that part of him. There was no denying that this was who he was. But he also wanted to see what was ahead for him and Wade. He loved him more than anything in the world and was more than ready for that next step in their relationship. He never thought that he'd become such close friends with Vis and would definitely like to help him with future cases, so as long as they weren't put in grave danger. As for Tony and him, Peter was hopeful that their friendship would get back to the way things had once been. He observed the way that Tony and Stephen spoke with Steve and Bucky earlier. Signs seemed to point that the hatchet really was buried and the possibility of everyone becoming friends once more could really be a reality. He looked up at everyone who had long passed, wishing them nothing but the best, and looked back around at everyone present. So what was next for Peter? 

"Whatever life or the afterlife hands me," said Peter. "I'm ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all for reading.


End file.
